


Second War of the Surface

by ClockworkWasteland



Series: Redemption [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child abuse [brief and in flashback form], F/F, Fluff, Humans vs. Monsters, M/M, Magic training, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, Segregation, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 21:45:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 50,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10625748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkWasteland/pseuds/ClockworkWasteland
Summary: After breaking the barrier, Frisk and company emerge to find that the surface isn't the sunshine and butterflies they were hoping for. Humans may not commonly remember the war but they also so not cope well with change. This is the story of what happens when you hope for the best and it doesn't work out...





	1. Oncoming Storm

The smell of pancakes and bacon greeted frisk as she opened her eyes sleepily. She sat up and stretched and smiled as the sun shined through the window of her room.

'No, I still say magma is a better source of power.' Said Gaster.

"I'm awake now, lecture's over, Dad." she giggled.

'Oh no it's not. You'll sleep again' he chuckled. 'Smells like Papyrus is cooking. Shall we?'

She nodded and got up, her bones popped as she stretched and sighed, "You know, I get enough lessons from Mom-er- Ms. Toriel. Why do you have to school me in my sleep?"

'You're still lacking. I know your dozing in class.'

"Of course you do…" she grinned as she got dressed and headed downstairs.

"Morning, sis." Sans greeted her as Papyrus brought over food. 

"Morning." She smiled, "Oh, brother it smells so good! Did you practice at school?"

"Yes I did." replied Papyrus beaming as he sat down to eat with them, "I added a secret ingredient."

Frisk looked and giggled, "Aw, Pap, It's easy to see they're chocolate." she bit into one and was pleasantly surprised, "Mmm! Butterscotch and vanilla!"

"Yeah, he's been experimenting. Not bad, bro." agreed Sans devouring his.

"Now, now! Don't gobble it up like a little piglet, Sans! You'll get the hiccups again.

Sans hiccupped and chuckled. "Guess you got me there." he hiccupped again.

Frisk giggled, "I would too, Papyrus, it's sooo good! Oh, do you work today? Sans and I wanted to go see Mett's new movie."

"Unfortunately I do," Said Papyrus between bites, "But you two have fun! I can probably go with Alphys and Undyne later."

"Any news on their wedding?" asked Sans, "I heard it was pretty soon! I need to get the whoopee cushions ready."

"You will NOT embarrass them in front of the whole town." snapped Papyrus, "You're going to dress nice and act right!"

"I dress nice all the time." 

"You're going to wear a Tuxedo. Just like Undyne and the rest of the men will." Said Papyrus.

"Oh hell no." said Sans as Frisk giggled.

"Oh hell yes."

Sans sighed then looked over at Frisk. "Then Frisk is wearing one too!" he chuckled.

"Noooo." Frisk mock sobbed. "Actually I wouldn't mind… but Alphys and I are going clothes shopping after school tomorrow!"

"Oh wonderful!" said Papyrus. And to answer your question, brother, it's next week. You and I will be clothes shopping as well soon."

"You have fun." said Sans yawning, "I'd rather stay home. Just pick me up something you would wear, Pap. It's be cooler then if I picked it."

"Flattery will get you no where!" said Papyrus with a chuckle.

Frisk smiled, it had been this way ever since they had managed to afford a house. Everything was so cheerful. Over in the corner on the table by the window slept Asriel in his pot.

"As, are you hungry?" she got up and went over to him as he yawned and looked up at her.

"A little." He stretched his leaves and looked out the window. "I'd better use the sunlight while I have it, Looks like rain."

She looked outside as she pulled back the curtain for him. In the distance where was a dark and gloomy looking mass of clouds. "Hmm, is it supposed to rain today?" she looked back at her brothers.

"Nyeh? No, I don't think so…" Papyrus got up and went to look, "Hm, looks like a bad one. Maybe you two should stay here for today.

They both groaned. 

"But what about you, Pap? You have work." Said Sans.

He nodded. "I'll just have to brave it! After all, the people need their great cook! To think of depriving them of my masterful dishes is.. well unthinkable! Nyeh heh heh!" he chuckled. "Just stay here today, all right? Something… doesn't feel right." he looked at their concerned faced and shook his hands, "N-no! Not dangrous." he looked back outside.

Asriel tilted his head, "Just be careful, okay, Papyrus?"

"Of course!" he looked at the clock. "Nyeh… I have to get going soon." he sat back down to finish his food.

After breakfast Papyrus left for work and Frisk sat looking out the window with Sans at the oncoming storm.

'It's only a storm. What are you looking for, Frisk?' asked Gaster.  
"I don't know…" replied Frisk. she looked over at Sans, "What do you think about it? Alphys is usually good at dropping off her readings before school. think she was wrong about the rain?"

"Maybe." Said Sans, "It's a shame our plans are all wet. Oh well, there's punty of things to do. Wanna go practice?" His face got serious, "You wanted to help, right, asshole?"

'…'

"Stop it, Sans… When are you gonna forgive him?" Asked Frisk, "He loves you, he's already tormented enough by guilt. Besides, he's helping me so you know he's good now! He helped us save Asriel!"

Sans was silent then. "Gaster. You're good to her. That's the only reason I haven't been looking for a way to purge you and throw your ass back in the void."

'I know…' said Gaster in a melancholy tone.

"You'll have to forgive him eventually. Look, Undyne forgave As!"

"Eventually is not right now, Frisk." He turned back to lazily watch the storm and said no more.

Frisk and Gaster sighed as she snuggled against Sans and watched.


	2. Special Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk reveals new magic much to Sans displeasure...

There was a damp chill in the breeze as Frisk and Sans stood face to face in the area they had cleared out near the house. From their mountain top area she could look out as the clouds rolled in. She smiled at Sans.

"Loser has to wear a dress for one whole day." Said Frisk, "Agreed?"

Sans chuckled, "Well, kiddo, then I get to pick your dress." he snorted, "Agreed?"

'You two are ridiculous.'

Frisk nodded. "Yeah! Ready?"

"Aorta be. We've done this before. Now to just see what you've picked up on since last lesson. I know I had you seeing red." Sans chuckled. 

"Well then prepared to be purple-exed!" She giggled and summoned a row of bones from the ground. Three were red, three were purplish-green.

Sans' eye twitched at the sight of the purplish ones, knowing they were Gaster's, but he summoned his own bones and they clashed.

"Pretty cool! You're almost as fast as me now!" He grinned wider, "But can you keep up with this?" He summoned his blasters.

She summoned hers' the flames now the same color as the bones. Her Magic and Gaster's has become merged as he remained within her being. Since the underground he's found that his magic had began to fuse with hers ever since he helped her save Asriel.

"Those now too!?" Sans launched his blasters in formation they aimed for her though their blasts were weakened for sparring.

Frisk rolled her eyes and launched two of the bones at Sans as her blasters evaded his.

He dodged them but using her magic she called one back towards her and it barely struck him in the shoulder. She never really hit him, Papyrus told her that wouldn't be a good thing to do.

Sans looked surprised as the aura and color of the bone surrounded him and he was locked in place. "Sp-special attack, Sis?"

She nodded and help up her hand which glowed red. "That's not all! See?" The aura turned red but instead of hurting Sans it didn't seem to do anything at all.

"What am I seeing?"

"I have you locked in place, now my red will reverse any attacks you use if you break free! I've been practicing with Dad er-… Gaster… I can use green to heal too." Said Frisk.

Sans opened his mouth to say something but thunder crackled overhead. He looked up. The clouds had moved overhead while they had been sparring.

Frisk took this opportunity and summoned purple-green boned from under him, knocking him over. "I win!"

"Aw, that was pretty cheap, sis!" Chuckled Sans, "But I guess it's my loss for taking my eye off my opponent." he looked up again once the magic let him move again. "We might wanna go inside, looks like that storm's almost here."

Frisk nodded, "As might be scared… He's still frightened of thunder." She hurried with Sans back towards the house. 

Snow flurries started to fall; this high up on the mountain rain turned to snow before it fell. They had chosen this place because it reminded Frisk of Snowdin. Her brothers had agreed and the sentimentality of their long time home sealed their decision. She loved the area, it was a cleared out flat land surrounded by woods on three sides with the view into the valley on the fourth.

"Are you okay, As?" called Frisk as they entered.

"Frisk? Oh… Y-yeah! It's only Thunder… Just, can you move me?" Asriel was scrunched down in his pot next to the window, his leaves shivering.

"I'm sorry, As. Here, you can come watch T.V. in my room. Said Frisk picking up the pot.

"Think Pap left anything in the fridge?" asked Sans going to the kitchen. A moment later her called, "Nope."

"He said Tonight we would go get some things Yesterday." Frisk called back, "Isn't there still salad?"

"Heh, I'm not Bunny, Frisk." he chuckled. "It's good and all but… Oh, heh, wanna go to Grillby's?"

"Don't leave me here alone.." Pleaded Asriel as Frisk sat him on her night stand and turned on the T.V., "Can I come?"

Frisk thought a moment then nodded, "All right, Sans, but if we go I'm bringing As."

Sans looked down as Asriel, "You know it's dangerous to take you out anywhere but school, kiddo. We'll bring you back something, okay?"

Asriel drooped, "Oh, all right… Can you change it to the cartoon channel?" he nodded towards the T.v. and smiled when Frisk did so and pat his head gently.

"All right! Be good, As." she turned to Sans with a smile, "Let's go!"


	3. No ordinary storm

Despite the cool chill of rain, the city below was still full of people bustling here and there. Monsters and humans roamed to and fro, either to work, school, or just out and about. Frisk smiled and waved at a few of her friends from the Underground. She held Sans' hand as they walked, she was now the same height as him so it was hard to tell he was older then her anymore.

A lot of new places had opened up to accommodate humans and monsters but still… There was the occasional instance of a sign near the door marking a face with teeth and mean eyes with an X stating 'no monsters allowed.'

"Think they'll ever get rid of those?" asked Frisk as they passed a bakery where a few humans leered out. "It's been two years now…"

"You can't expect everyone to be happy about us." replied Sans with a shrug. "Hey, as long as they leave us alone, we leave them alone."

They neared Grillby's new restaurant. He had moved shop up to the city about a year ago and both humans and monsters loved to dine there. Frisk could see the tables out front were full of both, chattering away and enjoying their meal.

Inside the place was busy but not too crowded. They took a seat at the bar where Grillby nodded to them and came over.

"It's good to see you two again." Said Grillby, "I'm surprised this many people are here considering the weather."

"Huh? Isn't just a bad storm?" asked Frisk.

"Yeah, it'd take a skele-ton more then a little storm to rain on everyone's parade." chuckled Sans.

Grillby chuckled but then pointed to the television behind the bar. Alphys was giving her weather report.

"-Although it's st-strange. This storm appeared very rapidly. Caution is advised as this system moves through. I es-estimate that we'll see it blow in by late tonight. Remember to stay safe!" She looked back at the weather map behind her and pointed at the huge storm, "Tornadic winds, dangerous lightning, hail. All of these are possible so it's reccomen-mended you all stay indoors for the next few days while the storm makes it's way through." She sighed then nodded, "Thank you, stay safe everyone!"

"Not exactaly normal." Said Grillby, "Something odd is going on."

"Nah," chuckled Sans. "It's just some wind and rain.” he looked over at Frisk, "What'll you have, kiddo?"

After they ate Frisk watched outside as rain started to fall. It was only a drizzle at first but then suddenly the defeaning roar of water pounded on the roof as it began to downpour. She could barely see the front patio! Thunder crackled overhead.

"Seems like no one will be going anywhere for a while." said Grillby cleaning up their plates, "Sans, you might wish to take your Frisk home until this passes."

Frisk nodded to Sans, "As has to be completely terrified!" she said concerned. "We should get back."

"All right Frisk, one express shortcut home coming up!" he grinned wider, "Thanks for the grub Grillbz." he opened a portal and help out his hand to Frisk who took it.

Together they went through and appeared in the kitchen. The house was dark as snow fell in a thick veil outside.

Frisk hurried to her room and found Asriel curled up and shaking in his pot. The power had gone out leaving him scared. 

"As? It's all right, we're back." said Frisk gently as she went over and put a hand on his head.

He flinched and looked up at her teary eyed, "Frisk, I'm so scared…"

"Shh… I know, As. But it's only a thundersnow." she assured him.

He shook his head, "I'm not so sure… There's something very wrong about this storm. Something bad. I don't know what but I sense magic coming from this storm, don't you?"

Frisk was still a moment then realized she could. There was a trace of magic in the air. every crackle of thunder spiked the aura of it momentarily. She wondered why someone would make such a storm. "Do you think someone used magic to try and get our of school and lost control?" she asked.

"Maybe…" replied Asriel, "But it feels wrong…"

"I'll ask Sans about it, maybe he could sense more." she said carefully picking him up in his pot. "Come on, I'll keep you with me until the power comes back on."  
'Perhaps there is something worth looking into.' said Gaster in her mind, 'Sans might not be able to pick up on it but I do not think this is normal monster magic…'

"We'll see…" frisk replied to him.

She took Asriel out to the living room where Sans was looking over the back of the couch out at the snow.

"Hey, Frisk, can you sense any magic coming off this thing?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "As just got me to notice it. Maybe someone lost control trying to get out of school?" 

He shrugged. "It's whatever. As long as it doesn’t get too bad everything should be back to normal in a bit." He stretched and yawned, "I wonder how Pap is doing… I think I'll go check on him. Be back in a flash!" he opened another portal and waved before vanishing.

"Think he'll be okay?" asked Asriel, "Was the power out in town?"

"No, I think it's because we're so high up, out line might have gotten damaged." She summoned a few small bones that glowed red and used the light to find a few candles which she lit and set on the coffee table. She took Asriel and sat him on the side table before snuggling into the couch. "Try to ignore the storm, As, I'm here with you" she assured him.

"I'll try… I hope the power comes back on before nightfall… I'm scared of night lightning." whimpered Asriel. He curled his leaves around his stem and huddled down in the pot.

Frisk yawned but smiled and summoned one of her blasters which grunted happily. "There you go, they'll protect you from the big bad storm!" she giggled.

He laughed too, "Aw, thanks. I feel safer now."

She nodded and closed her eyes, "I might take a little nap…"

"I can try to get some sleep too…" he said meekly before Frisk drifted off to sleep.


	4. Tonnis Salem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the little lightning bug that made the big boom. Tonnis is an OC I created for S.W.O.T.S. Hope you like him!

'Perhaps this is not a monster's work at all.' Said Gaster as Frisk appeared in the lab.  
He was sitting at his desk where Frisk plopped into the seat on the other side. 'It could be the work of a human.'

"Why would a human make a big storm? Can they even do magic anymore?" Asked Frisk.

'Oh they're very capable of it. But as far as I have observes they have forgotten so. There may be other towns that still possess magic to a proficient level. I hope this is not an attempt to start conflict.' He sighed. 'There has already been conflict, those signs state it clearly. With luck this will be an isolated incident my a single person.'

"Are you sure it's a human doing this?"

'Almost certain.' He rubbed his face in his hands, 'Humans still overpower Monsters with their Determination… If others follow this example we may have a real problem on our hands. Fortunately we do have out supporters who trust and protect us. Last time it was a mutual hate/fear relationship.'

"I think you're jumping the gun, Dad… It could just be an accident. Don't be so negative!" she chuckled. "I might be the one asleep but you seem to be getting deep rest."

Gaster smiled and snorted at her pun, "Sans would be proud." he said smiling.

She giggled, "You'll see, tomorrow it'll be sunny and we won't have to worry about it." She got up and hugged him, "Keep looking into it if you need to, Dad, if you're right then we can figure out how to reach the human and ask them why."

He nodded and hugged her back, 'I will let you go to true sleep, rest well'

She nodded and closed her eyes, letting the feeling of a dreamful sleep wash over her until she left him behind for rest.

Asriel's voice awoke her before too long, calling her name. She opened her eyes sleepily but an extremely loud clap of thunder startled her and she bolted upright awake as can be.

"Frisk, I'm scared." whined Asriel, "The storm's getting worse, look!" he pointed his leaf towards the window where Frisk could barely see the trees through the sheet of white.

Another loud clap of thunder made him whimper and frisk picked up his pot and held him close. He snuggled against her. "Shh, I'm here, As."

Her blaster hovered closer and sniffed Asriel who was trembling in fear, then whined.

"He's just scared." Frisk told it. "Don't worry it'll be all ri-" the growl of her blaster cut her off as it looked towards the door. A knock sounded.

Wondering who would be visiting in the middle of this storm, she set Asriel down and walked over, climbing her and Sans' stool to look out the peephole. She didn't see anything but the knock came again. Cautiously she got down and opened the door a crack, "Hello?"

There stood a boy that looked about her age. He was human and shivering. "M-may I come in and W-warm up er… miss?" he looked her over, "If-if you don't mind."

Frisk nodded, "Yes, come in!" she opened the door and helped him to the couch where he sat shivering. His black hair was soaked to his scalp. He wore a black trench coat and blue jeans with boots. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in a long time.

"T-thank you." he said gratefully as he shivered, "My name is Tonnis."

"I'm Frisk." she said smiling as she handed him a towel from the rack in the hall. "What are you doing way up here, Tonnis? It's amazing you got here in this weather!"

"Yeah, sorry about this… This is my storm." he hunched his shoulders guiltily, "It was an accident… I tried to get to the city as fast as I could but… Well, I can only run so fast. I'm only a human, after all." he grinned, "I bet you could run forever since you're a skeleton, huh?"

"I can still run out of breath- don't ask." she giggled, "So you made the storm?" they all flinched as another thunderclap sounded. "Do you live in another town? Can all of your family use magic? I didn't know humans could use magic anymore!"

Tonnis nodded, "I live in a small town near here. We all still practice magic, it helps us live easier. Most of our families… well their ancestors fought in the war. Sorry! I don't mean to bring it up…"

"It's fine." Said Frisk with a smile as she sat beside him. "My dad fought in the war too."

"Oh… Did he?" he sighed, "My parents drilled into my head that Monsters were evil and that magic would save us if they ever returned… But now that you all have I can't keep believing that. You're no different from us."

"Well… Most monsters are much weaker then humans, Tonnis." Said Frisk, "Human souls are as powerful as a thousand monster souls… Well, that's what my brothers told me."

"That's why they were able to drive us underground…" said Asriel meekly.

Tonnis looked over and his eyes widened, "A talking flower? Are you a monster too?"

Asriel nodded, "My name is Asriel. N-nice to meet you."

Tonis grinned, "Nice to meet you too! I love golden flowers. You look like the ones that grow in my town!"

Asriel had a momentary expression of sadness but smiled, "Thank you."

"Do you think your Storm spell will go away soon?" Asked Frisk.

Tonnis thought a moment, "I think so… I'm not very powerful so it shouldn't take too long. Should be gone by tomor-ah!"

Her Gaster Blaster rose from beside the couch and looked at him. He flinched, "What is that?!"

Frisk giggled, "Don't worry, it's mine. They won't hurt you."

Her blaster eyed him cautiously then snorted, sinking back down to nap on the floor. he looked down at it, "What an odd pet!"

"They're not really a pet. He's part of my magic and I keep him out for protection. It makes Asriel feel safer too."

"So this so your magic?" he reached out a hand to her blaster which grumpily scooted away. "I'd heard all monsters could use magic." he looked at her and was quiet for a moment then, "Do monsters hat humans like some humans hate monsters…? We drove you away from the surface… You're nice but… I see the signs people put up in places. Do you all resent us?"

She shook her head, "No, we're just happy to be above ground. There are some of us who are very old and who fought in the war who hold a grudge… but we want to coexist with humans in peace." she smiled, "I used to be a human."

He looked at her surprised, "You were? How did you become a monster..?"

"My Dad," she tapped her skull, "He's always in my head. When I fell down the hole through the barrier I almost died. He took my soul and used it to make me a new body. So here I am!"

"A monster from a human soul…" Tonnis nodded, "My parents would love to meet you, they love learning about you all." he smiled, "Maybe sometime you could come with me and meet them! Oh… I mean… if you wanted to…"

Frisk thought a moment, "That would be up to my brothers."

"Your brothers?" he looked at Asriel, "Is he your brother?"

Frisk giggled, "No, just a good friend. My big brothers should be home soon, then you can meet them!"

Tonnis looked nervous but nodded," … I can't wait…"


	5. The coolest magic teacher

"So your ancestors were spell casters?" Asked Frisk and she returned to him with some of Papyrus' clothed to change into.

Tonnis nodded, "They… helped created the barrier." he looked at her wary, "But I'm not like that! So don't be mad, okay?"

She shook her head, "I'm not mad. That was a long time ago. Now that we're back on the surface there's no reason to get revenge… It would only cause more pain." she help out the clothes, "These are my brothers er- sorry, he really likes rabbits…"

Tonnis examined the bright pink shirt with the fluffy bunny logo on it and chuckled, "It's cute. Thank you but are you sure he won't mind?"

She nodded, "Papyrus is really kind, he won't mind! Now, you should go change before you get sick, bathrooms down the hall to the right."

Tonnis nodded and got up, setting Asriel down carefully; he had been holding him to help him feel safer from the thunder as he felt guilty for causing it. He took the clothes with a "Thank you" and made his way up the hall.

Frisk smiled. She had met plenty of other children her age at school but had never met a spell caster before. It was exciting! He had told her about his village and that the people there were in disagreement about how to act towards monsters. There were those like his grand parents who… hated monsters.. but according to him his parents loved learning more about them. She had agreed to visit with the permission of her big brothers and liked the thought of meeting more people who didn't mind monsterkind's return.

Tonnis was still in the bathroom when she heard Papyrus' car pull up and Sans' and his voices, muffled, approaching the door. She got up and reached it as it opened and they entered.

"Hello, little sister!" said Papyrus brightly, "Did anything happen while we were away? I hope you weren’t afraid."

She shook her head, "I'm all right, Pap."

"She's too tough to get chills from a little snow." chuckled Sans. "What's with the look, kiddo?"

Frisk smiled, "Someone's here! A human was out in the storm, he's really nice!" she grinned, "It's okay, he's the one that made the storm.

Sans' face darkened. "Did he do anything to you, are you okay?"

"Yeah, he's a kid like me. He didn't mean to, it was just a wayward spell!" she hugged them and they sat on the couch together, "It's nice, wait until you meet him. Oh… Pap, I gave him some of your clothes so he could warm up and dry off."

Papyrus grinned, "Of course! We don't need anyone to get sick. It's nice to hear you met a new friend!"

"Well, wait a minute, Pap, we don't know anything about this kid," said Sans. He looked at Frisk, "He didn't seem dangerous?" he spoke in their language.

"Nope, not at all," replied Frisk speaking it as well, "He's really sorry. Please don't be mad, big brother…" 

Sans shrugged, "I'll hold judgment until I meet him." He scratched his back, brushing snow off.

"Sans! You're getting the couch all wet!" snapped Papyrus. Sans grinned.

"Don't be so cold, it's still snowing out there." chuckled Sans he looked up as they head the bathroom door open, "Here we go."

It was a moment before Frisk heard Tonnis slowly make his way back up the hall. He peeked into the room cautiously.

"Don't worry kid, I already ate." Chuckled Sans.  
"Hello there, human!" said Papyrus cheerfully, "Come in! There's nothing to fear!"

Tonnis hesitated then entered the room, He wore the bunny shirt and a pair of Papyrus' pajama pants. "H-hello… I'm T-Tonnis. It's nice to meet you." he said with a nervous smile.

"Sans. What's up?" Said Sans.

"I'm Papyrus! Are you sure you're warm enough? I can get you a blanket and some hot cocoa if you'd like."

"Yeah, you look chilled to the 'bone'" chuckled Sans.

"Yes please, Hot cocoa sounds delicious." said Tonnis as he laughed softly at the pun. "I'm sorry to intrude… But this was the first house I saw and-"

"Nah, don't worry about it kid." Said sans as Papyrus got up and went to the kitchen. "Have a seat." he pointed to the recliner beside the couch which Tonnis sat in, still looking nervous. "Don't worry, kid. See? I don't bite, can't even open it" he pointed to his mouth.

"I noticed. How do you talk?" asked Tonnis, "Oh-er… if you don't mind me asking!"

"Magic I guess. Not sure myself really." replied Sans with a shrug. "So, tell up about yourself."

Tonnis explained what he had told Frisk then continued, "The people of my Town all use Magic to help with our lives. There's no electricity so we use magic to power everything and we're not very… modern. Most of us like to keep a simple life. You know, farming and trading. It’s nice." he smiled, "There's a school there, we learn a lot about… the war… and you all, monsters I mean."

"I hope it's not all bad things." said Papyrus bringing him his cocoa and sitting on the couch, "We're not mean! It was… Nyeh.. A long time ago."

Tonnis nodded. "The teacher tried to keep our lessons neutral but… There are some people who wish you all had never returned… sorry…" he looked at the cocoa sadly, "I'm not one of them!" he said hurriedly, "I like monsters! You're all really cool!"

"Did you hear that, Sans? He said I'm cool!" Said Papyrus happily. "Thank you human!"

"Well duh, Pap, everyone knows your cool." said Sans.

Tonnis nodded, "I think you're cool, Papyrus. You all are! You're all so different from us it's so facinating. My parents like to study monsters and you're culture and learn more about you."

"Nyeh heh heh, then I would love to teach them! Where do you live?!"

"Slow down, Pap." said Sans, "So kid, if there are some folks that don't like us then what would they do if they had the chance, start another war?"

Tonnis looked surprised, "Oh no, no!" he replied holding his hands up, "We don't want conflict… well, most of us… Our elders might not be happy to see monsters around but they wouldn't hurt you!"

"Like they could." said Sans with a snort. "Don't worry, we're not about to start something either. I'm cool with humans, so are most of us." he grinned wider, "So where do you live?"

"It's far…" Said Tonnis, "About a three day run."

"Run?" repeated Papyrus, "You ran all the way here?!"

He nodded, "I used magic, but it was hard… I wanted to make sure everyone was all right! I'm so sorry my storm went haywire! … I was only trying to make a rainstorm to water the fields… I'm still learning." he hung his head as thunder crackled again. "I hope nobody gets hurt because of me… My dad would kill me if I hurt someone. You see… I wasn't supposed to use magic but I couldn't resist. I want to become the greatest spell caster in our town so I can help everyone!"

"Ah, a noble goal!" said Papyrus, "Hmm. I, the Great Papyrus can teach you the ways of magic! Would you like that?"

Tonnis smiled brightly, "Oh yes, very much! But… My parents are probably worried Sick about me… I should get home as soon as the storm clears…"

"We can get you back, kid." Said Sans, "So don't go running off." he chuckled, "Why not stay for a few days and get your strength back?"

"Really? Thank you!" said Tonnis, "I really appreciate this! Can I study you? I mean… I want to learn more about you. I've never seen Skeleton monsters before and… That was rude, I'm sorry…" he took a sip of his cocoa and sat silent.

"Nah, for get about it." chuckled Sans, "As long as you don't cause trouble you're welcome here."

"Yes!" agreed Papyrus, You're more then welcome. We have a guest room so you can sleep there."

"You're all really kind." said Tonnis smiling, "I'm very grateful." he took another sip of his cocoa, "It's delicious!"

"So, us, you made this storm, huh?" asked Sans, "You must be pretty good at magic, even if you lost control."

Tonnis shrugged, "I'm not as good as my parents… The elders told me I'm not supposed to use magic until I'm better at it…"

"Well, practice makes perfect!" said Papyrus. "I can teach you what I know while you're here. It will be fun!" he beamed, "Human, I've decided that I will be your new magic instructor!"

Tonnis smiled, "Thank you, Papyrus. If I come back better at magic then even the elders will like you probably!" he looked at Sans, "I promise I won't cause trouble."

Frisk grinned, "And I have a new friend to hang out with!" she clapped her hands happily, "It's good to meet new friends."

"It is." said Tonnis, "I'm real glad to have met you, Frisk, and you two as well!"

"Hey," chuckled Sans, "Just don't get too close there you two. I remember teenage years…"

Both Tonnis and Frisk blushed.

"No! We're only friends, Sans!" said frisk pouting, "Don't embarrass me!" she looked over at Tonnis, "Sorry…" He's just over protective.

"Ah, young love! So adorable!" said Papyrus.

"Pap! No!" snapped Frisk, her cheeks red.

Tonnis chuckled nervously, his face red as well. "… Well, I like you, Frisk. But we've only just met. Friends is it."

"Wowie! This day got even better!" Said Papyrus happily.

"Oh! How was work, Pap?" asked Frisk.

He beamed, "I learned how to make a new dish! I'll make it for everyone for dinner!"

"Sounds great!" said Frisk with a smile.

Thunder crackled overhead but the warmth in the room made it seem like only a quiet rumble in the air.


	6. Undyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was edited heavily from it's original. The original had a cameo but the character was non-cannon to Swots and I kinda felt forced to put them in. Soo hopefully things still flow all right.

Later that night at dinner they all sat around the table. Sans and Papyrus were asking Tonnis everything about him while Frisk listened.

'This boy seems to be very nice.' commented Gaster.  
"He is nice." said Frisk, "I like him, it's good to have a new friend!"

'I'm glad you are happy.' Said Gaster, 'But still, you should be wary of going to a human spell caster town…'

"I know Dad, I know. But Sand and Papyrus will be with me. You too!"

'Indeed… Just be cautious…'

The storm had cleared and the moonlight peered through the curtains of the window next to the sink. They had decided to let Tonnis rest with them for a few days and Frisk smiled at the though of someone else to train with.

"So, human, what kind of food do you normally like to eat? I'm happy you enjoy my cooking but I would love to make something familiar to you." Asked Papyrus cheerily.

"Well, I don't normally eat anything extravagant," said Tonnis, "Mostly just what we grow. My town doesn't trade with anyone so we're self sustained." he ate some more then, "But this is so good, Papyrus! I would probably gobble down anything you make."

Papyrus beamed, "You look a little skinny. I'll fix that! You'll show up at your town well fed and a great magic user!"

"Nah, it's only a few days, Pap." Said Sans, "Maybe if he had a month or two." he looked over at Tonnis, "So, how many Monsters have been to your town since we got back?"

"Well… Any passerby they stops in is treated all right by most of us. They come and trade or are just venturing and find us… The elders tend to lock themselves in their houses and most of the other people are wary of them… But it'll be fine when you show up! I'll make sure to take you to my parents first. They'll be able to convince the others you're all right."

"I don't want to be left alone…" said Asriel from the counter where Frisk set him to be a part of things. "But I don't want to have my petals plucked."

"You're coming with, As." Said Frisk with a smile, "I'll protect you. It'll be all right.

Tonnis nodded, "Noone will hurt you, Asriel, I promise."

After dinner the four of them sat outside watching the stars. It was a tradition Frisk and her brothers had adopted to rest off the day. Clouds slowly passed above and the twinkling glitter could be seen through them. 

"Wowie! A shooting star!" exlaimed Papyrus pointing, "It's amazing!"

"In my town we believe shooting stars are the souls of our ancestors checking up on us…" Said Tonnis, "It's said if they are pleased with you then you'll have good luck."

"Heh, what about a meteor shower, kid?" Asked Sans, "There must be a skele-ton of people checking in then."

He nodded, "We believe that during a shower if you whisper your greatest desire to them it might some true if you've been pure enough. It must work."

"Nyeh? Why do you say that?" Asked Papyrus.

Tonnis smiled and looked over at him, "I wished for friends."

Frisk giggled, it was too adorable not to. "And you found us! Don't worry, when the others meet you you'll have lots of friends."

"O-others?" he looked over at her wide eyed, "Other monsters?"

"Why yes, our friends like to come visit. They'll be so happy to meet you!" said Papyrus, "You'll be so popular! It's nice to be popular."

Tonnis laughed nervously, "Yeah…"

"Nyeh?"

"Well… There's not many people I hang out with back home. I'm the son of the 'Wacko scientists' … So, this, you all? It's… new."

"It's okay, Tonnis." Said Frisk, "They're all really nice!"

A little while later they could hear confident and heavy footfalls coming up the hill.

 

Frisk sat up and looked to see Undyne in her police uniform approaching. She waved. "Hey Undyne!"

"Just what we needed, a nice gill to show up." chuckled Sans, "'sup, Undyne?

"Hey you three, everything all right up here?" she smiled. "No damage?"

"Nope! Everything held together." said Papyrus getting up and going over and giving her a hug which she promptly answered with a noogie before her eyes landed on Tonnis and she looked confused. "New friend?"

Tonnis stood up quickly and stood straight, "Yes ma'am! My name is Tonnis Salem."

Undyne grinned toothily, "Relax kid, you're not in trouble… yet." She chuckled. "Hey Tonnis, I ain't seen you around, you new in town?"

"N-no Ma'am, I'm from another town. I ran here to-to…" he looked fearful, "I-I caused the storm- I'm so sorry!"

Undyne leered at him, "Why did you send a storm our way?!" she demanded.

"Relax, the kid didn't mean it," said Sans.  
"Undyne, please listen to him!" pleaded Papyrus.

"All right, all right." said Undyne holding up her hands. "Let me get the story before I decide what to do with our lightning bug here…"

She let Tonnis explain and all the while listened with a grave expression. "… You know, you caused a lot of damage down there, Tonnis." she pointed down the mountain, "Roofs torn off, fire, traffic accidents. I've had my hands full with reports. You're in pretty deep shit, kid."

Tonnis was shivering, "I… Please don't take me to jail…"

"Well, how old are you?"

"Fifteen." he replied meekly.

"Nope, can't do anything. I could take you in and they'd probably book you and send you to juvi but…" she looked at the ground. "Papyrus, Sans, Frisk… Are you sure this kid's legit?"

"He's nice, Undyne!" Said Frisk, "He really didn't mean to, it was an accident. He was using magic and it got away from him." She had gotten up and hugged his arm defensively, "Please don't take him away."

"Ah geez," She sighed, "You're making my job really difficult. Well… nobody died, so you don't have murder on your hands, kid, but I SHOULD arrest you." she thought a moment. 

"Undyne..?" Frisk looked at her, cautious.

"I didn't hear anything… But Tonnis, I suggest the next time you feel the need to use magic… You'd better pray it don't effect my city, do you understand?!" She barked.

Tonnis flinched, "Yes ma'am!!"

That's everything I needed to know. I've got get back, they probably need me elsewhere…" She looked back at them. "I'm only doing this favor once, guys. I can't ignore this again…"

She turned and walked back down the hill, waving a webbed hand in farewell.

After they were out of sight Tonnis sunk to his knees with teary eyes. Frisk hugged him.

"She's pretty scary… He said with a nervous laugh. "I… I thought she was going to take me away. My parents or someone would have come looking for me. That… would have been bad."

"And why is that?" asked Sans, "You said they were scientists. I'm pretty sure if they'd come looking for you there wouldn't be any trouble. Or would there?"

Tonnis sighed, "We don't have a lot of money.. Our town relies on trade, not gold." he got up and Frisk stepped back, "They could never pay for damages." He looked to where Undyne had gone, "She really saved me there…"

"Undyne is a really nice person!" Said Papyrus, "She'll make sure you don’t get into any trouble."

Tonnis smiled half heartedly, "Thank you…" He sat back down, "Maybe I should just go home tomorrow… I feel like I'm nothing but trouble."

"Cheer up, kid." Said Sans, "You're cool here. Live and learn."

"Indeed! And after I train you a little you won't destroy anything else!" added Papyrus, oblivious.

Tonnis hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's okay, Tonnis." said Frisk. "Let's go inside."

"Oh darnit!" Said Papyrus, "I forgot to ask Undyne what kind of icing she wanted on their wedding cake!"


	7. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonnis might not be all he appears to be...

Later that night Frisk showed Tonnis where his room was. Papyrus had given him clothes to wear to bed and she thought he looked pretty adorable in the bright pink and black moon pajamas… mostly everything Papyrus owned was bright and flashy.

When they entered he looked around and smiled, "Thank you for letting me stay, Frisk."

"I'm glad you decided to." Said Frisk. "I've never had a sleepover before. Do you need anything?"

He looked around then shook his head. "No, this is more then enough. The bed looks really comfortable. My room is nowhere near this big…" He smiled, "This is not where I expected to end up when I started my run. It thought I might wind up on jail or worse! I'm so happy to have found your house, Frisk. To have found friends like you and your brothers. I'll be fine, you should get some sleep too." He yawned.

She nodded and headed out the door, closing it with a soft "Good night." before heading to her own room. She stopped part way as she heard Tonnis' voice. She quietly crept back to the door and listened. He was speaking in a language she couldn't understand.

'Hm. That is interesting.' Said Gaster.  
"What do you think he's doing, Dad?" she asked, wondering if she should check on him.

'From his tone of voice I would say he is praying. Though to who or what I would not know. I sense magic.'

"Should I…Check on him?"

'I would not. He seems calm. Perhaps this is a ritual he performs before bed normally. Go to sleep, Frisk. There is nothing to be concerned about.'

Frisk nodded and slowly made her way to her room, looking back for a moment before turning off the light and heading off to sleep.

"Are you all right, Human?" She heard Papyrus say the next room where Tonnis was staying a little while later. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yeah… Listen, sorry I woke you up. I didn't meant to." Replied Tonnis, his voice shaky. 

Frisk slid out of bed and made her way to the door.

"It's not a problem. I was worried when I heard you in distress. It's okay, there's nothing that can hurt you here." Said Papyrus. "Do you need a glass of water or something to help you back to sleep? You look like you don't get enough rest as it is."

"No… Just, could you stay here until I fall asleep again? I feel really safe around you." Said Tonnis, "Please don't go."

"Nyeh? All right, Tonnis. I won't leave." Said Papyrus. "What on earth could have you so scared? You don't have to tell me but maybe it might help."

"I… Papyrus… I'm scared. I don't want you all to get hurt. I had a dream that my elders tried to…" 

Frisk peeked in the slightly ajar door and saw Papyrus hugging a trembling Tonnis. She wondered what kind of dream he had had. Did he dream of their visit to his town?

'I sense… an odd magic from the boy.' Said Gaster.'  
Frisk ducked away and went back to her room, "What kind of magic?" she asked.

'It is defensive magic as would be expected but… I does not seen to be coming from him. It seems to emanate from something on his person. Perhaps a talisman or a charm from his town. It's not unheard of for humans to carry protection magic with them.'

Sans was sitting on her bed, he grinned wider, "Hey kiddo, I guess you sensed it to?"

"Tonnis' magic? Yeah." she nodded, "What's up, brother?" she sat on the bed next to him and leaned against him. "Are you okay?"

"Just wondering what you think of him, the kid."

"Well… he's sweet and kind." she replied, "And scared, he's hurting. I can sense it like I sensed from Asriel. I don't know why he's scared but I think I can fix it. All I have to do is figure it out. I like him!" she smiled, "He's the first magic using human I've met."

"I like him too, Frisk." said Sans, "But something seems off about him. Just be careful about getting too close to the little guy."

She giggled, "Brother, you're the little guy in this situation to be 'short' with you."

Sans chuckled, "Nice. Anyway, don't knock this. We don't know anything about him other then he looke like he could pass out any second and he comes from family that… don't really agree with us. I know he says his parents only study monsters but…" he looked serious, "We both know someone who uses Study and torture interchangeably." 

"Sans… You need to forgive him sometime." she sighed, "Gaster's interested in him too."

Sans ignored her mention of Gaster, "Just keep an eye on this kid, okay, Frisk?" he snuggled against her, "I don't need my little sis getting her heart broke, eh?"

"It's not like that!" she put her hands over her mouth then continued quietly, "It's not like that. Look, you said it. We don't know much about him. Stop picking on me."

He chuckled, "I'm kidding. We'll see how he does the next couple days. I know he has a cell phone." He looked towards the room Tonnis and Papyrus were in, "But why hasen't he called his parents? Something's weird, huh?"

"I didn't know that." said Frisk thoughtful. Why hadn't he called his parents to let them know he's all right? It was indeed odd. "Maybe he forgot? Or, I heard him talking to someone before I went to bed. Maybe he called them?"

"Nah, I checked in on him. He was chanting to some kind of necklace. I'm gonna ask him about it in the morning. He yawned and stretched, "Well, kiddo, I'll let you hit the hay. See you in the morning." he said getting up.

"Good night, brother." she smiled sleepily, yawning herself."

"Night, Frisk."

She watched him phase through the wall and lay down wondering about what he had said.

"Dad… do you think he's telling the truth, Tonnis?" she asked Gaster in her mind.

'I think what he has told us is true. But he might not be telling us everything. I agree with Sans, keep watch…'

She nodded and yawned before closing her eyes to sleep.


	8. Tonnis' Confession

The next morning she awake to a pressure on her bed. Easing her eyes open she was surprised to find Tonnis looking over at her. She sat up quickly, "Tonnis! Oh… are you all right?"

He looked nervous, though she had noticed he always did. "Um… Frisk… I'm sorry if I woke you I just… Papyrus is making breakfast and I came to wake you but you looked so peaceful and I… Er- sorry." he looked at the floor and hunched his shoulders.

She smiled, "It's okay, Really." She yawned, "Did you sleep all right? I heard you had a nightmare."

His pale cheeks turned pink, "Yeah.. I get those sometimes. Papyrus was kind enough to stay with me until I fell asleep again. He's very pure hearted." he looked over at her dresser where Asriel slumbered away in his pot. "I wanted to ask you… What kind of Monster is Asriel? I've never seen or heard of a flower monster before…"

"Oh, he's… Well, he wasn't always a flower. He's actually- well was- the Prince of monsters. But… Things happened to him. It's not my place to tell. But yeah, he's special." she thought a moment, "He's like me."

"Oh.. So he died…?"

She nodded sadly. "Humans killed him. They thought he had done something he would never do… Kill. He was beaten to death. But Alphys, one of our other friends, she brought him back."

"She can raise the dead?" he asked wide eyed.

She shook her head, "No,no. It was an accident. But… he was in a lot of pain. I helped him and now he's all better."

Tonnis thought a moment, "… So the underground was run by flowers?"

She giggled. "No, he looked more like a goat, but cuter."

"Ohh." he smiled, "You really care about people, huh Frisk? I like that about you. It's nice to find people who don't hate either humans or monsters. Oh- not that the people in my town hate you! … But, still, it's nice."

There was a knock on the door and Papyrus poked his head in. He smiled, "Breakfast is ready! Sorry if I broke up a secret meeting you two lovebirds." he chuckled.

"Pap! No! He was just…" Frisk looked at Tonnis.

"I was just asking a few questions…" his cheeks tinged pink as he looked at Papyrus. "N-nothing special. S-so it's ready?" his face lit up, "I can't wait! Your cooking is amazing!"

"Why thank you! Yes, I know. I, the Great Papyrus cooks better then anyone in town! I shall make sure you don't go home as skinny as you are. Maybe some good food will help you not look so sickly, Tonnis."

"Sounds great, Pap." giggles Frisk getting out of bed. She looked at Tonnis who was smiling at Papyrus, "C'mon let's go eat."

After breakfast they all sat at the table. Papyrus was washing the last bit of dishes while Sans was looking over at Tonnis.

"So kid, what's with that necklace?" he asked pointing at his chest.

"Huh? This thing?" he pulled out an intricately carved wooden skull on the end of a leather cord. The skull had tiny designs burned into it and was very well made. "It's my great grandfathers. He gave it to me before he died." he smiled, "He said as long as I'm good it will protect me and being me good luck."

"Well knock on wood." chuckled Sans. "So what were you doing with it last night? We could all sense your magic."

"I… uh." he put it back beneath his shirt, "It can store magic. I have to do it to keep the spell going…" he sounded nervous, more so then normal. "It's not dangerous! Just… Well, it's something I have to do."

"I never accused you of having something dangerous… You telling the truth kid?"

Frisk looked at Tonnis who's face was paler then it had been before. "What is it, Tonnis?"

He looked away.

"Kid, I don't wanna have to force you to tell the truth." Said Sans, his eye flickering alight. "But if there's something you're not telling us then you're not exactly in a position to keep it to yourself."

"SANS!" snapped Papyrus, "You put that eye out right this instant! That is no way to treat a guest!

"He's right to be wary…" Said Tonnis. He looked at Sans. "Okay… It's a binding spell too. It's for me. My magic… That storm would have been way worse if I hadn't had it on. I… I'm really powerful… But I can't control it, it just bursts out of me when I don't w-w-" he started coughing violently and covered his mouth with a napkin.

"Are you all right?!" Papyrus rushed to his side, concerned, "Do you need some water?"

Tonnis waved his hand, "N-no, I'm all right…"

"Kid, I don't think that's ketchup…" commented Sans pointing to the napkin when he pulled it away. There was a trace of blood. "You okay?"

"Oh my god…" Papyrus put his hand on Tonnis' shoulder, "What's wrong with you, Tonnis? What can I do to help?"

"I'm sick." said Tonnis as he stifled another cough. "The necklace-it" he coughed again, "It keeps it from getting worse too."

"Tonnis…" Concern gripped Frisk, "What kind of sick? Is it… Are you sure you're all right?"

"I've had this my entire life…" he wiped his mouth and balled up the napkin, "It's hereditary. Nothing deadly just.. Well most of my mother's side of the family has it." He sighed and stifled another cough. "May I have some water?"

"Of course" said Papyrus as he hurried to accommodate him, "I'm sorry to hear that. You poor boy... Is there not anything anyone can do? If it's bad enough to need magic to control… Wait, you said your magic was a problem as well. Does it cause this too?"

He nodded. "Sorry… I didn't mean to hide it from you but…"

"Nah, kid, I'm sorry. I didn't know." he shrugged, "You had a right to keep it to yourself but I had to ask, y'know?"

"You don't trust humans very much do you, Sans?" he asked.

"I just met you yesterday. Just not used to you yet. Heh, don't worry about it."

"That was very rude, Sans!" scolded Papyrus. "He's only a child, not a warrior or whatever's going on inside that head of yours. I swear, you're so rash sometimes!"

"…Yean, Pap." nodded Sans, "I'm just having an off day."

"You're still having those nightmares as well! Why won't you tell me anything about them? I could help then maybe…"

"Heh, we all keep secrets, bro. But I might tell you later." said Sans. He looked at Tonnis, "Think you'll be all right to practice with my little bro if you're magic's that chaotic?"

Tonnis nodded, "I-I think if it's with him I'll be okay."

Papyrus smiled, "Oh goodie! Well then, when you're ready we can begin! But don't do anything for now. Rest and feel better first. Then we can see how well you can use your power!"


	9. Leave lie the past...

A little while later Papyrus and Tonnis stood face to face in the back yard. The snow had hardened enough to stand on but it was still a little slippery. The sun shined down casting an otherworldly glitter. Frisk and Sans sat on the porch. She wondered how Tonnis would do. He looked really happy.

"All right, Tonnis, Let's try something simple. Let me know if it's too hard for you." he summoned a long bone in his hand, "I'm going to attack, try to concentrate on blocking." he smiled, "I won't hit you so even if you can't manage it at first you won't get hurt, okay?"

"Right!" Tonnis got into a defensive position and his hands glowed dark gray. "I'm ready."

Papyrus lunged and swung the bone at him. Tonnis acted quickly and threw up a shield in front of him. Surprisingly when the bone struck it a small shock wave sent Papyrus back a ways where he skidded to a stop in the snow.

"Wowie! You're really good at defending yourself!" he praised, "Try it again, we can work on this until you feel you're well enough to block more then one."

Frisk smiled as she watched them train. Tonnis looked so happy! She wondered how long he had known how to use magic. She had learned a lot since she'd began training with Sans back in the underground but she remembered learning hadn't come that easy after the first few lessons. She's never trained with Papyrus, however. They clashed again and again as he tested Tonnis on his defense, being careful not to hit him even If a blow made it through.

"He's not too bad." said Sans from next to her. "But we'll see once Pap starts trying a little harder. He's so cool."

"Very good!" praised Papyrus, "Are you ready to try something different?" he asked a little while later.

Tonnis nodded. "I think I'm good. Let's try something harder!" he grinned.

"Harder? I was going to see if you were able to handle more then one attack… That would indeed be harder but, are you ready? I don't want to hurt you!"

"You won't, Pap." replied Tonnis, "I'm a lot stronger. Come at me with your real magic! I wanna see it." he seemed more confident now that he was training. His face was bright and his expression overjoyed.

"But if I do that you could get hurt!"

"Give him a try, bro!" called Sans, "If we can see how powerful he really is then you can train him better."

"Well… all right, Tonnis… If you're sure." Papyrus' eyes glowed yellow. "Try your best, okay?"

Tonnis nodded and surprisingly his eyes glowed to, but it was like a dark shadow, gray and gloomy. He summoned his own magic, skulls like his necklace. "I'm ready!"

"Enguarde!" Papyrus leapt at him and attacked.

Frisk watched them clash, from what she could tell Tonnis was on par with Papyrus though she could tell neither one of them were using their full strength. 

'He's an odd human…' Said Gaster.  
"How so?" she asked.

'His magic. Something is different about it. I would like to study him closer… However, if you were to fight him I doubt he would try as hard.'

"Why would you think that?"

He chuckled, 'No reason. But magic is fueled by strong emotion. Joy, anger… passion. It all effects power.'

"So he's really happy?"

'Oh yes, very. He seems to be driven to impress Papyrus, watch.'

Frisked watched as Tonnis threw Papyrus back with another shockwave, this one was larger and more powerful. The bushed near the porch rustled with the force. Papyrus was knocked on his backside but got up and lunged again.

"They look like their having fun." Said Sans looking over. "What's he think about it?" he said darkly.

"Dad's watching him. Something about his magic being odd."

"Gaster is not your dad, Frisk. I don't like you calling him that." he shoved his plated hand in his pocket. "So what about the kid's magic?"

She shrugged, "He only said something was odd and he wished he could learn more about it."

"Great…"

"Sans…Is there anything he could do to make it up to you..? Gaster's more of a dad to me then my own dad… he… Just, you should forgive him, brother."

Sans studied her, "All these years, Frisk, you never mentioned your parents… Why didn't you go to them when you got back, afraid they wouldn't love you cause you're a monster?"

She shook her head and sadness gripped her heart. Faded memories of long dead screams and sirens drifted in the back of her mind… She shook her head, "Let's not talk about it okay?"

"Kiddo… if you're parents are out there they should know you're-"

"They're not! Drop it, Sans!" she demanded.

Papyrus and Tonnis looked over and then at each other before walking towards them looking concerned. Frisk wouldn't have it. She got up and stormed in the house, tears pricking her sockets. They were memories she would like nothing better then to forget… memories that lead her to the underground in the first place… She sniffled and went to her room, locking the door behind her.

'Frisk… you never showed me these memories. You poor child.' Gaster tried to send comfort through their link but it barely helped. 'So… that's why you ran to the mountain."

Frisk sniffled, "You are my Dad… I don't have another one anymore. You're my…" she buried her face in her pillow. "Dad… It's okay. I'm okay it's just… I never wanted this to come up. I was happy pretending you were always with me. Not him. He was so…"

'Shh, Frisk, just calm down… Memories are our past. You never have to see him again. I am sorry about your Mother.. but time has past and they're long gone.'

She willed herself to sleep and appeared in his lab, hugging him tightly. "I yelled at Sans… he's just so stupid! You're, you're not a bad person! … I just wish he would get over it… Not make me as miserable as him."

'He… His anger at me might be everlasting. I deserve it. But you, you are not at fault. These memories… what was said before they died… Please, don't put anymore thought into it. As you wish then I am your father. And I can be all you need as a parent… maybe.'

"Dad, I'll always think of you as my dad. You were hurting when you made me. I don't blame you for what you did to me… I just wish… well… There's no use thinking myself into misery is there… I'm just so… tired…" she felt her mind dim towards true sleep, her cry had worn her out.

"I love you… Dad."

'I love you too. And so did she. Sleep now, Frisk. All will be well.'


	10. From cruel beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :MILD LANGUAGE AND CHILD ABUSE AHEAD:
> 
> This is my interpretation as to what could have brought Frisk to Mt.Ebott.
> 
> No, I don't care if you don't like it. Yes, I'd love to hear your theories but message them to me if you want.

Frisk's dreams were anything but peaceful. Long forgotten memories of the night her world changed came flooding back…

It was raining, such a foul storm. Her parents had been fighting, as usuial… but tonight wasn't normal… They were driving home from a parent-teacher conference… The smell of alcohol hung heavy from the driver's seat.

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! The little shit needs to be punished! A good old fashion belt was good enough for me, it's damn good enough for her!" Her father was snarling. Her mother shook her head and said softly, "It was only a worksheet, dear."

"I don't care and don't you try to go against what I know! You know what happens then you do that." he raised one fist off the steering wheel. Her mother cowered.

"Yes…" she looked back at Frisk who was in the back seat, "Your Father's right… we have to start making sure you understand when you've done wrong."

"When we get home," her father glared menacingly at her, "I'm gonna tare your ass up."

She sobbed… it wasn't her fault… she didn't want to be hit again… the bruises on her arms and neck… she had told them it was from roughhousing but…

"Quit you're bawling! It's high time you grew up and started acting like an adult. I don't care if I have to beat you everyday until you get it through that thick head!"

"Dear… maybe… maybe you should calm down." her mother pleaded.

The car jerked as he swerved with the force of his slap, her mom cried out in pain.

"You better be glad I haven't sent her off to live with your Mother. Woman's got the right idea; up at sun and work your ass bloody or it ain't good enough." He sneered, "Even then, your worthless little monster wouldn't get it. I don't know why I let you shelter her so much."

Lightning struck near the car and it her father jerked the wheel in surprise, they hydroplaned out of control, Frisk screaming in fear until she was thrown forward, stopped only by her seat belt as they slammed into the side of a building not far from the edge of town.

She opened her eyes, groggy, and gasped. Her parents were outside the wreck, arguing. Her Father was advancing on her mother with a shard of the shattered window.

"I'm done! I've had it! You're not blaming this on me! Heh… Killed on impact! Then I can be rid of you two worthless assholes for good!"

She covered her eyes but could hear her Mother's screams and pleas then horrible noises, the sound of punctured flesh. There was a struggle.. Frisk peeked through her fingers just in time to see her Father slash the glass downward towards her Mother who was on her knees bleeding from multiple stab wounds.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck them both, frying them to the bone. Frisk's breath seemed to vanish as she saw their flesh and organs explode out of them leaving a ghastly pile of bones and viscera… her parents…

She quickly got out of the wreck and stumbled before vomiting on the cold, wet asphalt. She collapsed a few feet away, her heart pounding. She cringed as she heard the fading sizzle… She had to run, she had to run!

Getting up she ran as fast as she could from the sight, from this horrible night. Faster, faster! She wanted to run forever until she ran right up to the sky and vanished, free from the pain and free from the horror. She headed for the woods, her body began to ache and her breath felt like needles but she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop…

Adrenaline does have it's limits though and she had finally run herself out. Taking a few feeble steps before collapsing she sobbed dryly and gasped for air. Her body was shaking from exhaustion and horror. She didn't want to pass out, she was too frightened! But she was only human and before long her vision faded…

It was morning when she awoke to find herself at the summit of Mt. Ebott. This was where she had ended up? She got up, her body stiff and sore. Making her way out of the trees she found herself standing before a large hole. there was no telling where it lead to, the pit reached into the blackness of the underground…. the underground? Her classmates.. they told stories that underground Monsters dwelled. Monsters that would eat you or worse… but… the monsters up here were worse, much worse… She walked around the edge, wondering if this was indeed a pit to the land of Monsters. Suddenly a root that she swore wasn't there before tripped her and she found herself falling into the abyss… falling further and further until a sharp pain pierced her skull and she knew no more.

But she did know more, she knew dull pain in her head as she jerked awake, having fallen out of bed onto the crack in her skull with an "ow!"

'I tried to stop the nightmare…' Said Gaster. 'It that really what happened to you?'

She was numb as she curled up on the bed and nodded. "He wasn't my Dad… he was my stepdad. He was so mean and he k- ..Mommy…" she sniffled.

Gaster's comfort emanated through their link and she gladly let him console her. She lay there, not noticing Tonnis who was standing in the doorway watching her before quietly closing it as he left.


	11. Gaster Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you put a piece of yourself in something does it become you in a way? Maybe. Either way you have a connection with your creation that can span across time and space.

'I've been working on something I think you'll like.' Said Gaster as Frisk eased out of true sleep and found herself in the lab. She leaned against him as he stood in front of one of the tables, sorting through some of his notes.

"Dad…?" she would have yawned as grogginess still fogged her mind. "What is it?"

'I have been studying the void energies for a while. I believe there may be a way to escape this void so that I can be there for you physically. I am not sure if it will work but if it does then I can also confront Sans and try to make amends… My theory is that if we combine our magic we should be able to open a tare in the void and allow me to reform my body outside of here.'

"You mean…You could come outside and be here with everyone?"

'Yes.'

She smiled, it would be so nice to have him there with her physically outside of her mind. The only times they could interact was when she was asleep and although he could speak with her she could never talk to him face to face. If he could do this and Sans could forgive him then things would be okay! She clung to him, "What do I have to do?"

'It's only a theory… so do not be too disappointed if this does not work.' He talked her through what they would have to do and how they could merge their magic. 'It is how I was able to manifest my blaster during your fight with Asriel. The same concept should allow me to escape… You do not have to decide if you want this now. Take time to think it-'

"I'm ready, Dad. I've though about this a lot but I'm not as smart as you… I don't know as much about magic and science. I want you to be free! Let's try it, okay?"

Gaster smiled, 'If you are sure then let us begin.'

He stood opposite to her and held out his hands which she held tightly and closed her eyes. She could feel his magic rising and summoned her own to match. Their powers began to meld together and she felt his mind close to hers. She hadn't really been in his mind before, she avoided getting too close as she could sense chaos worse then hers and didn't want to break his focus. Their magic grew and a light surrounded them. Her body began to burn with the power but she tried her best to maintain the spell until suddenly everything went dark. She was awake. Disappointment filled her, "It didn't work did it?"

"Open your eyes, Frisk." she heard his voice… but not in her head! 

She opened her eyes and saw him, her Dad, sitting on the end of her bed smiling. Joy filled her and she clung to him. "I-it worked!" she hugged him tightly, tears in her sockets, "You're really here… you're here."

"Because of you. Your magic and your purity brought me back." he held her close, "After all this time I can touch, I can feel. You saved me, my daughter. Frisk, you really are amazing." He stretched and looked at his hands, "It feels so good to be back in a physical body."

"Dad…" she sniffled, "I'm so glad you're here!" the joy of having him here with her was almost overwhelming. Now she had a parent! And her brothers, they had their Father back… but…

"Sans… What if he tries to hurt you?" she asked, concerned. She sat back and looked at the door, hoping no one was listening.

"He is not strong enough to hurt me." replied Gaster, "But if he wants to fight me I will let him vent… I think it is time we had a talk… If I am to be a good father to you then I must ensure that everything is stable. Our past… My son has a right to not forgive me but from watching you I have learned that there is always a reason to try."

There was a small knock on the door. They both looked as she heard Tonnis ask, "Frisk? Is there someone there with you? I heard… another voice. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Tonnis! I'm more then okay… My Dad's here." She replied.

"Your… Dad? But no one's come here, Frisk. Are you feeling all right?"

"Come in, Human." said Gaster.

Tonnis let out a small gasp. The Door slowly opened and he peeked in. When he laid eyes upon Gaster a look of terror struck his face. "You…" color drained from his face as he entered, "You're… W.D. Gaster…"

Gaster tilted his head, "How do you know of me?"

"You killed my great grandparents…" His hands trembled, whether in anger or fear Frisk couldn't tell.

"Tonnis? But, how do you know? Dad's not the same, listen! He-"

"You fought in the war. My family told me all about you, monster…" tears pricked his eyes.

Gaster's face fell, he bowed his head. "True, I killed many humans back then…" He got up, "I cannot excuse my actions other then that I believed they were within the best interests of my people."

Tears ran down Tonnis' cheeks as he backed away. Before Frisk could stop him he ran back down the hall and called, "Sans! Papyrus! Come quick! Gaster's got Frisk!"

"Tonnis, no!" she cried, but it was already too late…

The room seemed to darken as she sensed Sans' magic rise and saw the shadows distort as a blue eye shined through the newly opened portal on her wall. She clung to Gaster.

"Gaster…" growled Sans, "Finally, I can kill you once and for all."


	12. More secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonnis, Tonnis, Tonnis... Will you ever just be honest?

"Sans, no!" Said Frisk sternly as she got in front of Gaster. "Calm down."

Papyrus appeared in the doorway with Tonnis right behind. Tonnis looked in with what Frisk could only recognize as fear.

Gaster looked over, "Papyrus, you're looking well, my son."

"Don't you dare talk to him." growled Sans, his eye still alight.

"Sans…" Papyrus looked back as Tonnis and nodded for him to stay before entering and slowly approaching Gaster, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say… You're… back. Nyeh.. I'm glad to see you but…"

"Glad?" echoed Sans looking over in disbelief. "Bro, you know what he did to us!" he looked back at Gaster then Frisk, "Move Frisk. He doesn’t deserve protection."

"Would you stop being so stupid, Sans?!" she growled back. "With out him you wouldn't even have met me. He did the same to me as he did you. The difference is I understand why!"

Sans looked lost for words but he balled his fists.

Papyrus looked from his brother to his father and sighed. "Sans… Calm down. Let's talk about this."

"You've got to be kidding."

Tonnis spoke up from the doorway, "He's a cold blooded murderer. My family told me how he slaughtered hundreds of humans and then collected them, not even allowing them a proper burial! He…He's evil!"

Frisk glared at him, "The same family that hates monsters? I though you were kinder and better then that, Tonnis." 

"Human, I do not think there is anything I can say in this situation to diffuse your anger." he looked from him to Papyrus, "But I would rather not fight. This is useless." he looked at Sans, "If you try to kill me you will lose the respect of your siblings but the trust of a stranger. Is that what you want, my son?"

Sans hesitated then slowly his eye dimmed. "Bastard… Fine, let's talk.

Papyrus looked relieved, "Tonnis, I know you're not comfortable being near him. But please, try to calm down as well. Let's all go sit and discuss this and-"

"How can you just let him be?" demanded Tonnis.

Gaster sighed, "You have every right to fear me. But please allow me to speak. I want you to try and understand." he said to him.

Tonnis just stared at him for a moment then sighed. "I am afraid of you… The stories I've heard. They say you're cold, and ruthless." He looked at Frisk, "I had no idea this was your Dad. If you want me to then I'll listen but… "He stepped forward and clung to Papyrus' arm, "Don't expect me to forgive you easily."

Gaster though for a moment then smiled, "You're afraid of me because of what you are, correct?"

Tonnis' eyes widened, "Y-you can tell?"

He nodded, "It's obvious to someone like me who has seen… and attempted to make beings like you."

They all looked at him and Frisk walked towards him, concerned. "Tonnis, what does he mean?"

"I do wish to examine you." Said Gaster making Tonnis tremble more in fear. "However you do not have to be afraid of me. I will not do so. I have… changed. As my daughter has said I am not the man I once was."

"I want to believe that…" said Tonnis quietly, "I want to believe there's good in everyone… But forgive me if I don't trust you. As you said, I have a right to."

"Wait a second, Tonnis." said Papyrus putting a hand on his shoulder, "What kind of being are you? You're a little human, right?"

Tonnis took his hand and bowed his head, "No… I'm not."

"What?" Sans' eye darkened and he looked over slowly, "I knew there was something odd about you. What are you, kid?"

"I'm… My ancestors… My mother's side… They were.. Well, they weren’t human." He looked at Gaster, "They were monsters."

"How is that possible?" asked Frisk. She never though a human and a monster could have a child of their own. Was he telling the truth?"

"It's not." said Sans, "Monsters can't handle human Determination, they melt."

"In theory it is possible." Said Gaster, "Tonnis is proof. Tell me, do all of your mother's side suffer from your illness?"

He nodded, "My father told me what I was when I was six… He said not to use my magic because it could hurt me but I did anyway and… well then I started getting sick." he coughed and covered his mouth, "None of them died from using magic but… It hurts."

"As to be expected. A human and monster hybrid would have trouble controlling which side's magic was being used. The magic drawn from the monster blood would be harmful to internal organs and systems. Do you heal faster then a human?" Gaster studied with a curious expression.

"That's why I haven't died." said Tonnis.

"Tonnis… You're like me, huh?" Frisk held out her hand which he cautiously took, "Do you have a monster soul?"

"I-I don't know." said Tonnis, Frisk could feel his hand tremble and lay weak in her own.

"Let's go have a seat. You look like you're not feeling well, kid." Said Sans, white eyes reappearing, he grinned wider, "It'll distract me from murder if we all discuss things, I guess." he looked back at Gaster, "I can hit you now… And this time I'll do more then one damage. Watch what you do here, Gaster. I sure as hell will be."

"Sans-" Frisk started but he'd shoved his hand in his pocket and left up the hall.


	13. Amnesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, monsters and humans can boink and produce offspring. Most of them are stillborn.

"Tonnis?" Frisk watched him scrunch up in the couch corner as far away from Gaster as he could manage who was sitting on the floor next to Papyrus.

"I-I'm okay…" Said Tonnis watching Gaster, wary.

"Don't worry, kid. If he tries anything I'll take care of it. I have a bone to pick with him anyway." Said Sans who was sitting next to him also eyeing Gaster.

Gaster himself was sitting calmly with his arms folded in his lap. He looked around at everyone, "Where should we begin? It seems there is much to discuss all around."

"First thing, the Elephant in the room." Sans turned to Tonnis, "So, you're a hybrid, huh?"

He nodded, "As far as I know there aren't any others like me. It's another reason why my family isn't the most popular back home… My parents became scientists and Monster researchers to try and help me. But, most of their work is limited because we're shunned mostly."

"Gotta tell you, I've got 'mixed' feelings about that." He chuckled, "If you're part monster then why are your folks shunned? You'd think you'd be a pretty good example that we can live pretty good alongside each other."

"Perhaps his existence scares them." Suggested Gaster. "A union of Monsters and Humans could result in inter-species mixing becoming more often an occurrence. If this town of yours is a secluded as you make it to be then they may not have moved forward from the memories of the last war…"

"Maybe if we try to show them monsters are all right they'll change?" said Papyrus, "Surely they're not completely against the idea."

Frisk nodded, "We can tell them more about us. Things have changed a lot since then. Maybe we can convince them that humans and monsters can be friends?"

"If this town's mindset is anything like the city then I am almost certain there will be much resistance to that idea." said Gaster

"I really want to introduce you all to my parents… Maybe.." he looked at Gaster, "I'm not sure if you should go… People will recognize you."

Gaster nodded, "Perhaps it would be preferable for me to stay here with Asriel." he looked over on the windowsill there the flower sat watching them all.

"B-but I'm going to!" said Asriel, "Right, Frisk?"

Frisk nodded, "Yeah, I told you I would take you with us.

"Are you sure that is wise?" asked Gaster, "If these humans prove to be hostile he could quite easily be killed without any magic of his own…"

Asriel started to say something but a soft knock at the door made them all look up.

Papyrus got up and went to answer it. When he did they heard him say, "Your Majes- Nyeh.. Toriel! It's good to see you, come in!"

He opened the door and stepped aside to let Toriel in who smiled at them all until her eyes landed on Gaster and she flinched and took a step back.

"Doctor Gaster…? Is it really you?" She asked with a tone of disbelief.

Gaster stood up and bowed, "Your highness. It is indeed me."

"How…?"

He turned to Frisk who got up to stand beside him as Sans' eye flickered. "My Daughter. With her help I was able to escape the void."

"So it is true…" Toriel had a worried look for a moment and then smiled. "It's good to see you in good health."

He nodded then looked back as Tonnis had gotten up.

"Are you the Queen?" he asked, bowing just in case, "I-I'm Tonnis! It's an honor!"

"Oh, you have a new friend!" she smiled, "There's no need for formalities, my child, Ms. Toriel will do."

Tonnis nodded stiffly, "Yes ma'am!"

"So where do you come from, Tonnis? I don't think I've seen you in school."

"No Ma'am. I'm from a town far from here. I came to make sure the storm didn't cause too much damage."

She smiled, "How thoughtful! Though I have to say, it did quite a number on the school…" She turned to Frisk, "I came to see if you would like me to give you your lessons to do at home while the school is repaired.

Frisk started to reply but Gaster spoke first, "She would like that very much." He looked down at her, "You have to keep up your schooling even if you're not at school."

She smiled, now he was really acting like her Dad. "Right." she turned back to Toriel, "I'm glad you weren’t hurt!"

Tonnis shuddered, Frisk was sure he was feeling guilty about his wayward spell again. She left Gaster's side and stood beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He smiled nervously.

Toriel held out a bundle of papers which Gaster took, "It is very much appreciated, Your highness. Forgive me, but formalities are something I have to decline giving up. You are, after all, our Queen."

Toriel's face went dark. "Doctor Gaster, I resigned from that title after my ex-husband made very poor choices… Please, call me Toriel."

Gaster hesitated then nodded, "If you insist."

She studied him for a moment, "You look the same. Does time pass differently there… is there anything to be called there? The void… This is hard to believe."

"I managed to keep myself together enough to survive." Replied Gaster. "I had to… continue my work. Though thanks to my daughter I discovered other methods of research other than-"

"Illegal and inhumane soul manipulation experiments?" Finished Toriel coldly.

Gaster nodded solemnly. "Indeed."

She sighed, "Were this any other situation I would have you arrested and tried for your crimes against humans and monsters alike. But, Frisk has vouched for your change of heart so as ex-queen of Monsterkind I grant you amnesty, Doctor Gaster…"

Sans scoffed, "Great, make him feel better. Forgive him, it's easy for you.."

"Sans" warned Papyrus. Sans was silent but his eye flickered.

Toriel studied Sans for a moment then looked at them all with a smile, "I'll be on my way then! It's good to see everything made it okay. Frisk, I'll send word once school is back in session, all right?"

Frisk went forward and hugged her, "All right. I missed you.

Toriel returned the embrace and then set off out through the snow.


	14. Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nope, still not being honest, Tonnis...

"There is one thing I meant to question…" Gaster looked over at Tonnis as he resumed sitting in the floor. "Why have you not called your parents? You have a cell phone."

"Oh…" Tonnis pulled the phone out of his pocket, "I've been texting them. But, I haven't told them I was staying with monsters… They think I found a room at an inn." He bowed his head. "If I told them they would want to come here."

"What would be wrong with that?" asked Papyrus, "The more the merrier!"

Tonnis shook his head, "The others in my town normally wait for the opportunity to investigate what they do. There's always the danger of the others breaking in and destroying their work… I told them I might be bringing guests home so they're busy getting ready for you all. They don't know you're… I couldn't tell them. They'd get over excited and the others would find out. I don't know what they would do- nothing violent! …But they might be ready to keep you away."

"I thought you said most of them were cool with us." said Sans, "What happened to that?"

"…I… I'm sorry." he sighed.

"Tonnis…" Papyrus walked to him, knelt down and put his hands on his shoulders, "You don't have to keep lying to us. I know you're good and you can't tell me anything that would make me think otherwise. We only want to help anyway we can. Please tell us the truth, okay?"

"Lying tends to make people suspicious of you, human." said Gaster, "It would be wise to follow his advice."

Tonnis hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I should go… It was nice here but… I should go." he looked up teary eyed at Papyrus, "I don't want to lie to you… but I don't think your opinion of me will stay the same if I tell you."

Frisk went over and smiled, "Tonnis, we're your friends. Just tell us what's bothering you. I promise we won't get mad."

Tonnis shook his head, "Trust me, "He pulled away from Papyrus, "You wouldn't like me if you knew the truth… I lied about my parents… They're dead. They dies a long time ago." He help up his cell phone, "I've been telling the elders everything I've seen… They made me make the storm because I was the only one powerful enough to summon something that big…" he looked away, "They're looking for weakness, ways they can 'help' other humans by driving away monsters back to the underground… There's lots of towns who support the idea. I was sent to the city to collect data on the human-to-monster population and types of monsters there… So… So that they could tell me what magic to use."

"Use for what?" asked Frisk stepping back, hurt and surprised at this confession.

"To best eradicate the monsters without harming the humans…" he sunk to his knees, "But then I was caught out in my own storm… and I met you all. I… I don't wanna do this anymore…" He sniffled as tears formed in his eyes, "I don't wanna be their weapon…"

"You don't have to be!" Frisk hugged him causing him to flinch but she held him tightly, "You can stay here with us. You don't have to go back." she looked over at everyone, "Right? We can keep him safe."

Sans shrugged, "Sure, why not. But kid, if you lie to us again? You're gonna have a bad time…"

Gaster sat quietly but nodded.

Papyrus smiled, "Of course! You don't have to leave, Tonnis. You can tell your Elders you don't want to live there anymore. I'm sure they'll understand. If you don't want to hurt anyone then you're not a bad person!"

"I don't know…" said Asriel. "What if they come looking for him?"

Tonnis looked to the table where the flower sat, "They can't use magic on their own… But they told me if I didn't do what they said they would toss me into the underground and never let me out… I guess they can't hold that over me anymore, huh? If they come looking for me then there's nothing they can do!" he smiled meekly, "As… as long as you're all sure you wouldn't mind me staying? I'm… sorry I wasn't honest with you at the beginning."

"What will you do when your elders wish to know where you are? Have you told them about this place?" Asked Gaster.

He shook his head, "No, like I said, they think I'm staying at an inn." he thought a moment, "But, If I stay here then won't people wonder who I am? Undyne… she seemed like a good person but what if others aren't so lenient…"

"I am certain that because of your outer appearance many of the humans will pay you no mind. As for staying here I suppose Papyrus and Sans can continue to help you control your magic."

Sans yawned, "Yeah, that sounds great and all but I don't like being told what I will and won't do."

"Sans, please help him?" asked Frisk, "Stop being so obstinate!"

Sans looked at her blankly, "Where did you learn that word?"

"… School."

Gaster looked over at her, "Which, if I am not mistaken, you must attend in the morning."

Frisk groaned, "Really, Dad? After all this you want me to go to school?"

"I see nothing that has happened that should keep you from it. You will go to school, The four of us will remain here until Papyrus goes to school and with any luck Sans will not attempt to kill me." He smirked with the last bit.

"No guarantees." sand chuckled darkly.

Asriel spoke up from the table, "It's show and tell tomorrow too! Maybe Snowdrake will bring his ice rat again. I liked it, it was…" he giggled, "cool!"

Sans laughed, "Oh my god, As… That was a good one." the pun seemed to put him in a better mood.

Frisk sighed, "All right… I'll go make sure my bag is packed…"

Gaster got up to follow her, "And your homework is finished, and your notes are sorted."

"You're not in my head anymore, Dad, you've gotta let me do things by myself sometimes."

He chuckled, "I may not be in your head, but that does not mean I will not always be with you. We share a connection, that has not changed. The only thing that has is now I can pester you more efficiently when you are awake. As your father it is only my job to be a nag."

Frisk stopped, "Was that a joke?"

"Perhaps."


	15. Home School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have some cute dadster fluff.

The next morning Frisk sleepily opened her eyes as Gaster gently shook her awake.  
"You are going to be late if you do not wake up. I took the liberty of checking your homework. You need to work on your math. Does doctor Alphys know you've been dozing in her class?"

"Daaad… I h-haven't been dozing." she said with a yawn. She got up groggily and sat on the side of her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"You forget I was in your head." he smiled, "Come, Papyrus has prepared breakfast."

She looked around, "Where did you sleep?"

"The corner," he said pointing, "There is no where else for me, do not worry, it is quite comfortable compared to what I am used to…"

"You didn't have to sleep in the corner." she said with a sigh. "We have a couch!"

Gaster shrugged, "Regardless, it's time to eat. Then brush your teeth and bathe. You-"

"I know how to get ready for school." she laughed, "C'mon Dad, just because your free doesn’t mean you have to baby me."

"Oh I do not intend to." he replied with a smirk, "Now come, breakfast is waiting."

Everyone was seated at the table save for Papyrus who was busy making plates. The smell was delicious! She sat in between Sans and Tonnis who smiled. Gaster summoned a chair of bones and sat near the doorway to the living room. Tonnis looked over nervously.

"You have a skill, Papyrus. I have not eaten in many years but this smells very nice." aid Gaster watching him.

Papyrus beamed at the compliment, "I've been attending cooking school! The teacher says I'm the best in the class. Which is to be expected of course, because I am very great!" He brought out four plates and set them at the table then turned to Gaster, "Do you have any preferences? To tell you the truth I… forgot you were here. It seems so strange to see you again after… all this time."

Gaster nodded, "It is fine, Papyrus. I will eat whatever you bring me." he looked at frisk who had started on her plate, "What are you taking for show and tell? If I recall correctly Prince Asriel said that was today."

"You can just call me Asriel… or As, if you want to, G-gaster." Said the flower from the counter where he sat sun bathing. He looked at him timidly.

"At least you can't bring Ass-ter." snorted Sans. "What about your blaster?"

Frisk shrugged, "I could do that. But, if someone tells their parents I might get in trouble… we're not supposed to use magic at school."

"Why not? It would be a bone-ified example of how cool you are." he chuckled.

"I agree with Frisk," said Papyrus. "Remember the last PTA meeting? Toriel told us magic might scare some of the little human children. Oh! What about pet rock? You could let them feed it."

Frisk giggled, "Are you sure pet rock would behave?" she loved humoring Papyrus about pet rock, he was always taking care of it for Sans.

"Oh yes, it's very well behaved. I'm sure your classmates will love to see it." he smiled.

"Pet rock sounds like a good idea," said Asriel with a smile, "Or you could bring Tonnis!" he joked.

Tonnis laughed halfheartedly as he picked at his food, "I've never been to school before…"

They all looked at him. 

"You've never been to school?" repeated Papyrus. "But how did you learn things? Like counting and reading?"

Tonnis shrugged.

Sans looked over, "Kid… Do you even know how to count or read?"

He was quiet but shook his head. "… It wasn't important for what I was meant for… I can count a little bit but… I can't read."

"If you can't read then how could you text?" asked Sans, suspicious.

"I know what some letters mean. I mean, I can read basic words… sorta. mostly the elders told me words I needed to let them know what was going on."

"That's terrible!" said Papyrus, "This won't do. Before we go too far into magic training I will teach you how to read!"

"Pap, you don't know how to read well either, remember?" Sans looked over at Tonnis, "Don't worry, kid, I can teach you."

"And you're so lazy you would probably fall asleep!" Papyrus huffed, "I do so know how to read! I've been teaching myself."

"How does that work?"

"Nyeh… well… not well, actually…"

Gaster watched them then said, "I can teach you both how to read if you wish." he tilted his head, "Although I remember teaching you before, Papyrus. Have you forgotten?"

"It's a little foggy…" he admitted.

"Maybe 'cause you made us forget things." said Sans darkly, "Remember that?"

Gaster nodded, "Yes, I remember. Then, it would seem I can lend my knowledge and instruct you both."

Tonnis looked over at him nervously, "I-I would… like to know how to read."

"It would be fun! I would love for you to teach me" said Papyrus brightly.

Sans muttered something under his breath before saying, "Fine, but I'll sit in to 'lesson' the chance of any accidents."

"I would expect nothing less." replied Gaster unphased. He looked over at Frisk who was finishing the last of her food. "It's almost time to go. Brush your teeth and get your bag together."

Frisk rolled her eyes, "I know Dad, I know. She looked at Papyrus, "I'll get my things ready and meet you at the car?"

Papyrus nodded, "Don't forget to pack pet rock in his carrier. It still refuses to be leash trained." he looked over at the rock that sat on the counter on the other side of the kitchen, "Stubborn."

Frisk giggled and took her plate to the kitchen, "I'll take care of it, Pap." she smiled before leaving up the hall to finish getting ready.


	16. Grillby's is a nice place to chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems Grillbz place is where all the best talks happen, eh?

Sans glared at Gaster who sat in the recliner opposite of him where he and Tonnis sat on the couch. He wanted nothing more then to end him. To get revenge for everything this man had done to he and Papyrus. Frisk trusted him… That was the only reason he still lived. Memories of the lab floated through his mind as he seethed. Gaster himself was seated calmly watching them with a studying eye.

Well, he wasn't about to leave this kid unattended with Gaster. he looked over at Tonnis and grinned wider, "Hey kid, let's go for a walk."

Tonnis looked over with a confused look, "I.. All right!" he smiled. "Where to?"

"Eh, I know a place." Of course Grillby's. It was time to get some answers from the kid and he wasn't about to stay here with Gaster listening in. Couldn't trust the guy as far as he could throw his bony ass. "Here kid, let's get going."

Tonnis got up as he did and he held out his hand, "Here, I know a shortcut. Just grab my hand."

The kid did so and as he did Gaster spoke, "I am curious as to how you discovered you could bring people with you."

"Keep guessing." he spat before opening a portal and dragging a reluctant Tonnis with him.

They appeared just outside of Grillby's Sans heard the gasps of a few humans. There were some people even now that weren’t used to his sudden appearances. He looked over at Tonnis, "Well, here we are! Best place in town to relax and have a nice chat. Come on in!" he put his hand on Tonnis' shoulder and directed him forward.

"A diner? But we just ate a little while ago…" Said Tonnis. Wait, chat? B-but I told the truth!"

"Shh, Kid, relax. I don't have a bone to pick with you. Tibia honest I'm just curious. But here, let's get inside. Don't wanna draw too much attention out here." he grinned wider as he guided him inside, "I just wanna know more about you."

Inside was just as he liked, it wasn't lunch hour so there weren’t many people but that was just fine, less ears to eavesdrop. He directed Tonnis to a seat at the bar which he took the one next to.

"I see you have a new friend." said Grillby as he came over. He set a bottle of ketchup in front of Sans, "How are you? Did you fare well in that storm?"

Tonnis nodded meekly, "Y-yes sir. I've been staying with Sans. I wasn't here when it hit."

"Oh good. I've just finished repairs here. Most of the city got off well, a few major damages but thankfully nobody was killed. What would you like to eat?"

"He'll have a burger, Gillbz." said Sans looking at Tonnis, "Trust me, they're the best."

Tonnis nodded, "I'll have that then, please."

"Of course." said Grillby before he set off to make the order.

Tonnis whispered to Sans, "I don't have any money…"

"I've gotcha." he grinned, "So, here's what I wanna know. I didn't mean to rattle you, but… what kind of group are we expecting to have some after you? From what it sounds like you can't just live with us and drop contact."

"Well… no. They'll probably send someone after me…" admitted Tonnis.

"Should we be expecting trouble?" This kid was something special and from what he'd seen before, special things weren’t let go of easily. "You said your elders were planning to use you as a weapon. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess they're looking to start conflict and trying to get as many people rallied as they can."

He nodded, "I think they want to try to start another war…"

Sans chuckled, "That would be an uphill battle. Look, kid, there might be some tension between us two races but no one wants another war. It's just growing pains y'know? Heh, what ever they do we can just let Undyne know to be on the look out." he unscrewed the ketchup and took a drink, trying not to laugh at Tonnis' cringe. "So, speaking of battles, how much of a fight do you think they'll put up to get you back?"

"I'm not sure…" replied Tonnis.

Anything that threatened his family was a big problem in his mind. Humans that still hated monsters weren’t that surprising. Thought Sans as he glanced outside at the few shops he knew sported the 'no monsters allowed' signs. He shrugged.

"Regardless, you're safe with us, kid." he took another drink, "We'll make sure you're protected. From what you've said, and I'm trusting you here, you don't want to play their game. So, if their little secret weapon wants to quit then they're boned, huh?"

Tonnis shrugged as Grillby returned with the food, "Thank you."

"Just let me know if you need anything else," said Grillby before looking at Sans, "Just got a new shipment in, like it?"

"Gotta tell you, Grillbz, it's a little tangy." he looked at the bottle, "hawaiian spice? You working imports now?" he chuckled.

"There's more options up here. My customers seem to like the new things I've been getting in."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. It's pretty good." he downed the rest and chuckled. "Mind sliding me another? Gotta ketchup on my supply, haven't had some since yesterday!"

Grillby chuckled and set up another bottle. "Only the best for my best customer. So, how is everything up there? I heard Undyne paid you a visit."

"Just checking up. It's always nice to have a pretty gill visit y'know?"

Tonnis laughed and Sans looked over, "What, fish not your thing?"

He shook his head, "N-no, it's not that! I just… Nothing." he smiled.

Sans shrugged, "We're good for now, Grillbz."

After Grillby left to tend to other customers he patted Tonnis on the back. "It's okay kid, I got a fishy feeling you've got guppy eyes for the lady. Trust me, she's a real piranha."

"No way!" said Tonnis making a few people look over. he slouched and picked at his food. "Well… uh.. I'm not into.. well, you know… girls."

Oh.. that was a load off his mind, though Sans…. but… wait.

"Kid, do you have a thing for my little bro?"

Tonnis' eyes widened and he quickly took a bite out of his food to avoid answering.

Oh. my. god. That's hilarious. Thought Sans he chuckled, "Well he's a bit older then you. Plus you, uh, gotta get past me."

"You're not gonna tell him are you?' squeaked Tonnis, "I-i…"

"Relax kid, I'm not bothered by it. Just.. Pap's a bit.. Well, don't hold your breath. You seem harmless enough. I was more worried about Frisk. Hey, it's no problem unless you hurt him. If that happens…" his eyes darkened, "You'll have a bad time." they lit back up and he chuckled at the boy's petrified face, "I'm kidding, by all means go for it." he unscrewed the new bottle and downed it.

"So…You're not gonna hurt the people who come after me are you?" asked Tonnis, "They… they don't know what they're doing. They don't wanna believe you all are nice and friendly. They might try to…" he took another bite to avoid continuing.

"If they try to hurt my family they're gonna have a REALLY bad time. Look, kid, we're almost pals. But I'll do what I have to, to protect them."

Tonnis nodded solemnly, "I know you do. I really hope It doesn't come to that…"

"Me to, kid, me to." he thought for a moment… oh crap. "We'd better finish up. Gaster might not be as understanding if someone shows up while we're gone…"


	17. Diary of an unsound mind.

Silent as the void… Well, no. Not that silent. Gaster sighed as he sat waiting for someone to return. It was surprisingly lonely without Frisk's constant presence. He looked around and the idea came to him that this might be a good opportunity to explore his children's rooms… and the hybrid's as well. Hybrid… Different from Frisk in every way. This Tonnis, he was born. Frisk was made. She was perfected, he was flawed… and he was a threat…

Thinking for a moment he decided that Papyrus' room would be a good place to start. He was the one that worried him the most. Back then… well, a pure heart doesn't necessarily mean a full mind. Making his way up the hall he noticed pictured on the wall of his three children. They all were so happy. He smiled, at least they had known a better life then what he would have put them through. Were it not for Sans' actions then… well, no need to dwell on what could have been.

His younger son's room was neat and tidy. He smiled at the well organized figurines and books on his bookcase. Curious, he went over to examine the books and was impressed to find advanced reading materials on complex puzzles… though intermixed with children's books. He chuckled despite himself, it seems he hadn't remained so self defeating and dense as he once was… though such a thought made him feel ill. When he was an experiment that seemed like the correct conclusion… but now.. no, he merely needed guidance. Guidance he did not give, would not give...

Now that he had returned from the void maybe he would be able to atone for his past actions… Well, with Papyrus anyway. Sans on the other hand… Well, perhaps his room would give some insight into his mind. Leaving Papyrus' room he made his way to the room down from it. The door was locked tight, of course. Using magic he broke through the lock and magic seal on Sans' door and opened it.

In complete contrast to his brothers room, Sans' was a horrible mess. Clothes were haphazardly strung across an unmade bed. Notes and crumpled papers littered the floor leading up to a pile of books and a laptop. Curious, he made his way through the mess and picked up a few of the notes to read.

"Even after all this time… My son, you still don't even trust your own family?" he read through the notes, which were scribbles mixed with legible writing that he could make out as being notes on timelines and saves… and resets. Notes were scratched out here and there. Moving on to the crumpled up notes he became even more concerned. These were the ravings of a mad man… plots to prevent resets, nonsense written about an evil demon and even his own death. These weren’t the only things.. Plots to stop resets, plots and plans to even kill Frisk if she tried to reset… She didn't even know how. He had only ever taught her about Saves.

"You would kill her, Sans?" Gaster looked over the notes in disbelief. He looked around and spotted an open note book on a beat up old desk. He picked it up and read a few pages:

'- this timeline seems stable but there's no telling. the nightmares are getting worse, i found myself in her room when i came too. is that demon still there? am i drawn to her output of self preservation instinct? i can't take this much longer. it's too much to keep hoping every night that i don't wake up to a pile of dust and not her, not frisk. these memories aren't complete, what if i can't remember things that little demon doesn't want me to? could they be screwing with my mind? i've never been here before. this is a different timeline, she always survived. but this time she died and gaster changed her. what does it mean? what's going to happen? why do i still hurt so much? i just want her to be safe. but, i won't let her take it back this time. I won't go back again.-'

Gaster sighed, unsure of what he could do. There was a way to purge these memories of the other timelines from him… but he had already meddled with his mind too much. he wouldn't do so again. But this? He was unstable… and maybe he was even a threat to Frisk.

Should he confront Sans about this? Should he just watch and see if he was mistaken?  
Lost in thought he was startled by a knock on the door. Curious, he peered out the window and saw a group of humans with grave faces. He went to the door and slowly opened it. "Can I help you, humans?"


	18. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: Gaster don't take no shit, yo.

"What're you doin' here, monster?!" hissed one of the humans.

Gaster tilted his head, "I live here…"

"My god, they're still way out here!" said another human.

A man in leather armor stepped forward, a sword at his side. He glared at Gaster with hatred in his eyes.

"You should have stayed in the underground, you foul creature… I am Zinn, head of the Sailis town guard. Before I end your disgusting existence you will tell me, have you seen a young boy, he's timid, skinny. Goes by the name of Tonnis."

Gaster chuckled at the humans threat. "My good man. I could kill you easily. Forgive me, but I have no idea who you are referring to… Now, get off of my property."

"Watch your mouth, monster!" spat another human, "You don't deserve to call ANY of our lands your home. You belong in the underground or as dust in the wind…"

Zinn waved his hand at the man and they bowed their head and mouth an insult for Gaster. "You're lying. I know he's been here." Zinn pulled out an amulet with the same design as Tonnis' pendant. "See this? This tells me his trail. If you're keeping him against his will then I will kill you and bring him home. Choose your next words wisely."

Gaster was thoughtful for a moment… then nodded. "I have chosen my words. And those words are Good Day." he moved to close the door but quick as lightning Zinn jammed Open the door with his sword.

"Wrong choice! Die you damned creature!" he growled and swung the blade at Gaster who dodged it.

The next swing he caught with his magic and using a summoned hand identical to his, he sent the human flying back. "Do not test me, Human… Leave peacefully. A fight with me would not bode well for you."

He laughed, as did some of the other humans. "Don't you remember the war? You monsters couldn't even kill ONE human. Don't kid yourself…"

"You are sadly misinformed…" said Gaster as he braced himself should the human attack again. "I killed more then a few of your kind. You are not as invulnerable to us as you think you are. So, if you must then by all means try. But be warned, I have no qualms with killing you, your friends and even hunting down this bothersome town and destroying it myself. I grew tired of not being able to help my family… Now that I am able you would do well to run from me." he smiled politely, "I am no remorseless killer but I will do what I must to protect those I care for."

"Then you'll be disappointed when their dust is all that remains…" scoffed Zinn. He readied his sword. You say you murdered humans? Then this is justice!" he lunged.

With a sigh Gaster summoned more hands. Each human was snatched up and held tight save for Zinn who Gaster teleported forward and grasped by the throat. "So, you are able to track the child's movements with this? "he reached into the human's coat and pulled out the amulet. "I will be taking this then…" he smiled as Zinn struggled. "I am sorry it came to this but I am not one to suffer those that have proven to be a threat… Farewell."

He stepped back inside and closed the door as the sounds of agony pierced the air as each human was crushed to death, blood spattering the window. What a mess… Such wasted lives. He shrugged and opened the door, surprised to find Sans and Tonnis just stepping out of a portal with shock across their faces.

"What have you done!?" cried Tonnis covering his mouth in horror. "Z-Zinn!?" 

Sans glared at Gaster, "Now there will be even more humans looking for THEM!" his eye began to glow brightly, "Do you have any idea how pissed they're gonna be when they find out?!"

Gaster calmly shrugged, "I did what I had to. They attacked me first." He stepped out in the crimson stained snow, "It is a simple mess to clean up."

"Zinn… He… he was like a brother to me." whispered Tonnis. He balled his fists, "And you killed him in cold blood! You're not even sorry!?"

"No."

He shook, whether with fear, anger or both it wasn't clear. He glared at Gaster, "You haven't changed at all have you…?"

"Kid, just calm down." said Sans, "We'll figure this out." His eyes were dark as he turned to Gaster, "That's it… I don't care what Frisk says, you're dead!"

In a flash he teleported as did Gaster. Magic glowed bright as Gaster retaliated. Blow for blow they matched each other.

"You know I cannot hit you, Sans. Do not make me stop you." said Gaster calmly as he dodged, "Would you have had me hand them Tonnis? You care for the boy, I can see." He was pushed back as he guarded against San's magic. "And you care for Frisk. They would have destroyed this place and hunted her down had I not stopped them. Would you have liked that? Although… I suppose that would have put your mind at rest."

"What are you talking about?" growled Sans preparing to fire another attack and summoning his blasters.

"You wouldn't fear another Reset now, would you?" he forced Sans back and wrapped a pair of magic hands around him. another few slicing through the blasters and turning them to smoke. "Why, with her dead and your hands clean you would be fine, yes? No more nightmares. No more sleepwalking…"

An expression of pain and rage crossed Sans' face, "You… you were in my room?"

"You wrote it yourself. Plans, plans to kill her, Sans…"

Tonnis looked At Sans in horror, "Kill her?" he took a few steps back, "You're not a family at all are you? Monsters… Monsters are just a sick and twisted as they told me!"

"Hold on a minute Ton-" Sans started but he was too late.

Black magic welled around Tonnis and he ran off, his speed enhanced by his power. Sans tried to break free but Gaster's hands held him tight.

"Let me go, Gaster!" he struggled, his eye blazing. "I gotta go after him!"

"Why? Let him go back to his people. He is a threat, Sans… If more humans come they will meet the same fate. With luck he will lead them all back. It is better that way."

"How can you say that?!"

"Because then I can kill them all…" he smirked and looked down at the amulet he pulled out of his pocket. "Fast, simple… Peace will be all that remains."

"You're insane." spat Sans.

"I will let you go if you calm down." said Gaster.

"If you let me go I'll kill you."

"You just tried. You are no match for me, Sans. Now, agree to come inside where we can discuss this or I will hold you here until Frisk returns. Then we can both explain to her why you are plotting to kill her…"

Sans glared at him then nodded. "Frisk can't find out…"

"I'm sure she will eventually. Now, go inside while I tend to the boy."

"I thought you said you were going to let him go." Growled Sans shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I think this matter requires it. As much as I wish to eliminate this threat it occurs to me that Frisk might not agree with my methods. Now, go inside, Sans."

"Sleep with one eye open, Gaster…" growled Sans as he walked past him.

Gaster said nothing as he walked towards the direction Tonnis had run.


	19. The voice in my head hates you...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo-boy... Look who it is!

A shiver shot down Frisk's spine, breaking her concentration on the test she was taking. She swore she sensed Gaster in her mind for a second and it made her shudder. The feeling has not been pleasant…

"Frisk?" said Toriel from her desk, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "N-no ma'am.. just nervous about the test!" she laughed half heartedly, trying to hide her concern.

Toriel smiled kindly, "Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine." she returned to grading papers.

Frisk couldn't get the feeling of dread out of her mind… Something was happening.

Suddenly a pencil fell on the floor next to her. It was Monster Kid's

"Whoops! My grip slipped." he grinned. "Thanks!" he said as Frisk picked it up, wiped it off and helped him put it back in his mouth.

She smiled and tried to regain focus on her test. It was a simple math test… yeah, simple. Yeah right! She tried hard to remember the lessons but something was making her marrow run cold. She looked around, everyone else was busy with their eyes down and pencils moving. She scrunched down in her seat a bit and chewed the end of her's, trying to reason out the last few problems.

Suddenly a wave of emotion from Sans struck her. She had grown a connection to her big brothers and this feeling… something was very wrong! She looked around then raised a shaky hand.

"What's wrong, Frisk? You look terrified! The test isn't that hard, my child." said Toriel gently.

She shook her head, "I-I need to call Papyrus… I'm not feeling very good."

"Are you getting ill?" Toriel got up and went to her, putting a hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever but you're shaking like a leaf! Hand in your paper and you can step outside and call your brother. I'll grade what you have for now."

She nodded and handed over he half finished test before getting up and making her way out into the hall. Chills rippled through her bones ad she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed her mind, a feeling of pure hatred and loathing coursed through her. She sunk to her knees and held her head. A voice was whispering in the back of her mind, though she couldn't make out the words. Her phone dropped to the ground and she slumped against the wall, wishing for the pain to end.

A sinister whisper floated through her mind. 'he…will…kill…you…'

"who are you?!" she demanded.

A soft cackle answered, 'he tried to get rid of me… but you will never get rid of me Frisk… I may not be able to control you… but the humans…' a chilling, childish giggle made her marrow run cold, 'This will be fun...' with that the feeling subsided with the pain though she sat there, numb.

Who was that? She had never heard that voice before… Something was very wrong! She shuddered and reached for her phone as a concerned voice called her name.

"Oh my! Frisk, are you all right dear?" it was Ms. Bunny. She was the lunch lady at the school. She made her way over and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're chilled to the core! Here, let me help you."

Bunny helped her up but she was overcome with weakness and fell into her. She felt so weak!

"Oh dear! We should get you to the nurses office, quick!"

She shook her head and said weakly, "home… I have to get… home." Suddenly everything faded to black and she barely heard Ms. Bunny's gasp of concern before she knew no more.

She was barely aware of being carried and the feeling of Papyrus holding her. She instinctively grasped his scarf to feel safe and opened her eyes a crack to see him looking down at her with a worried expression.

"Are you okay, Frisk?" he asked, "Bunny said she found you barely conscious in the hall.. Are you sick? You seemed fine this morning."

"Brother…" she snuggled into him, "I'm scared. I wanna go home!"

He held her close, "Shh… it's okay, Frisk, I'm here. "We're going home, okay?"

She nodded, her face still buried in him. "Something's wrong with Sans and Dad…"

"Nyeh? What happened, Frisk?"

She told him about how she had sensed them and the emotions she had. Deciding to leave out the part about the voice until she could talk to Sans or Gaster, whom she felt more at ease talking about such things with.

"Then we had better get home quickly!" Papyrus carefully placed her in the passenger seat of his car and took off towards home.

"Bunny did say she heard you talking to someone…" said Papyrus after a moment.

"I… I don't remember," she lied. "I was too out of it…"

"It's okay, Frisk… You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just know that I'll always listen if you need me to."

She nodded but didn't reply. The voice still scared her and the sheer hatred that had ran through her frightened her. She just wanted to get home to her Dad and Brother and Tonnis and hoped that everything would turn out to be fine…. but something told her things were about to get bad.

She sighed, hopefully Gaster and Sans were getting along. She shuddered as horrible thoughts floated through her mind. Suddenly her marrow shot cold as the voice again spoke.

'Maybe they killed each other.' it cackled. 'wouldn't that be hilarious?'

"Shut up" she whispered.

'I wonder if you even realize how much Sans hates him. Oh well, not as much as he hates you."

"What do you mean?"

'Nothing, nothing at all." replied the voice with a giggle, 'I could tell you so much about that bonehead's seething hatred towards you it's not even funny… wait, yes it is! … But no, watching you find out will be much more satisfying then telling you now…' with that the voice faded leaving Frisk feeling sick.


	20. Another nail in the coffin

Sans sighed as he locked the door to his room and sunk down into his chair. The mess was gone but something told him that a bigger mess was on its way. Gaster… How stupid could you be?! Killing humans would only bring more. What then? His family was in danger.

He really wished for that moment that he himself had the power to reset. But, no… no that would screw up everything. He was already afraid that Frisk would one day abuse that ability… He looked over his notes including the ones Gaster must have read. The ones he wrote in a fit of confusion and depression.

Frisk… I'm so sorry. He thought as he sifted through the notes. He thought back through the nights he had woken up standing in her doorway. She had always been sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world. Something he'd never been able to do himself since these timelines began. Something told him if he hadn't awoken something really bad would have happened. But, would he have killed her?

No, not that. He loved her too much. Just like he'd loved her before… when… No, different timeline. This Frisk had always been different from the others. This Frisk was a monster and not a human. He remembered countless timelines of watching the little human child from the sidelines. Whether they killed or spared they had always been human… And this Frisk didn't even remember any other timelines… Not even the last one when… No, he wouldn't think about that. 

It still gnawed on his mind that this timeline was so different. What had caused this one to turn out like this? Gaster…? He had made Frisk this way. But, how had he been able to finally do something like that? Questions… so many unanswered questions…

He sighed and lay his head in his arms. This was so frustrating. At least before he'd known what to do. Now? Now he was lost. His thoughts wandered to Gaster and Tonnis. He figured they would be back by now. That poor kid, he had to be even more confused and scared then himself. He wondered what Gaster would do when he caught up with him. Probably force him to come back. Great, just another nail in this coffin.

The sound of a car pulling up made him look towards the window. He got up and pushed aside the shade to see Papyrus carrying Frisk in his arms. She looked unconscious and his brother looked worried. A chill ran down his spine as he hurried out to meet them.

"What happened, Bro?" he asked as he opened the door for them. "What's wrong with her?"

"I-I don't know! She just passed out. Bunny said she sound her unconscious outside the classroom. She mentioned sensing you and Gaster. Did you two have a fight?" he looked around, "Nyeh… was there a fresh snow? It seems much whiter than this morning."

"It was the sunlight, bro." Said Sans quickly, "Lay her there" he pointed to the recliner, "She said she sensed us? Well I showered so I don't think she could small me all the way at school." he laughed halfheartedly. "C'mon, just make sure she's comfortable. I'll see if I can get hold of Alphys to check her over."

Papyrus nodded and gently set her in the chair, "Sans… Where's Gaster?"

"Out. He and Tonnis went to spend a little quality time together, no big deal." He got out his cell phone and added as he dialed, "They might be gone for a bit."

After a few rings Alphys picked up, "Th-this is Dr. Alphys! Or-um… H-h-hello?"

"Hey there, Alphys. I was wondering if you had the time to come over. Frisk ain't feeling too well. I got a fishy feeling you're busy but if you could…"

"Shut up!" came Undyne's voice over the line. Sans stifled a chuckle.

"F-frisk is s-sick? W-what are the s-symptoms?" Asked Alphys after a few muttered words between her and Undyne.

"Well, according to my Bro she passed out at school and she's still out. Looks all right from the outside but I just want to be sure. Pap seems pretty worried about her. I know she's a tough kid but… tibia honest I just don't want any doubt."

"I-I can be over there s-soon but… but I'll have to bring some-someone with me… I-I don't want to leave him w-w-with Undyne."

"You're damn right you're not leaving this pink water faucet with me! Shut up already!" Undyne snapped to someone in the background. 

"Huh? You got company?"

"It… I-it's Mettaton. He… W-well he's not doing h-his best right now." Said Alphys. "C-can I bring him with m-me?"

Sans Sighed, not in any hurry to see the gaudy, arrogant robot again, "Yeah, sure Alph, bring him along…"

"Ah! O-okay. Be there I-in a jiffy!"

"Thanks." said Sans hanging up. He went back to Frisk and Papyrus and shrugged, "Well Pap, your pen pal's coming to visit too. Must've had a bad break in the big city. How's she doing?"

"Mettaton's coming?" asked Papyrus, "Oh, I hope he's all right." he turned to Frisk who was still out. 

Her face was a pained Expression and it made him shiver, Sans knew that was the look of someone having a nightmare. He wished more than anything to be able to help her. "Hopefully it's nothing. Probably just indigestion or something." who was he kidding? "Anyway, Pap, don't worry. Alphys will check her out." he put a hand on Papyrus' shoulder, " How about you go help her into her Pjs? Might make her more comfortable.

"Do you really think we should move her?" asked Papyrus. "Maybe we should wait for Alphys."

"Yeah, you're right… say, uh.. where's Asriel?" He looked around.

"Still at school. Queen- er… Toriel will take care of him."

He nodded, "Well all we can do now is wait." he sighed and plopped down on the couch keeping a worrying eye on Frisk who slept on.

After a little while Frisk's eyes opened a crack and she groaned. "S…Sans?"

Sans, who had been dozing looked up and his grin widened, "Hey there, sis. Look, next time you wanna have a sick day you can always just stay home."

She yawned and sat up before looking around, "Where's Dad?"

Sans' eye twitched as the word. "He's uh… He and Tonnis stepped out for a bit. They'll be back in a little while."

"Sans… what happened this morning? You were so upset…"

"Huh? Nah, you must have had a nightmare. Everything's been fine around here. I'm more worried about you, kiddo. How're you feeling?"

Frisk grabbed her head and grunted.

"Frisk? Does your head hurt?" asked Sans, concerned.

"Sans… there's someone there." She shuddered, "Someone in my head."

"Gaster?"

She shook her head, "I don't know who it is.. They keep telling me things… things like-" she cut herself off as Papyrus entered the room.

"Oh! I though I heard your voice, Frisk. Are you all right?" he asked.

She smiled, "yeah, bro, just a headache. Sorry to worry you."

"I've got Alphys coming over to take a look at you just in case…" said Sans. He winked, "You can tell her all about it."

Frisk was silent for a moment then nodded.

So someone was in her head again? Great. Sans looked her over and wondered what more he would find out. Frisk knew she could talk to Alphys and him about things like that. But she lied to Papyrus… what's going on Frisk? He thought to ask her more but the sound of Alphys' scooter approached and he got up to go out to meet them. "Well, here we go…"


	21. Chara

'He's a liar.' Frisk winced as the voice in her head spoke. 'you know something happened… Heh, how do you know he didn't just kill Gaster and then Tonnis to keep him quiet? You trusting idiot.'

"Shut up…" she whispered.

"Are you all right, sister?" asked Papyrus looking back from the door.

She nodded halfheartedly, "Fine…"

Mettaton's voice issued from the door.

"It was AWFUL! They wouldn't leave me alone. Everywhere I went… Mind you I loved the attention. But it was too much!"

"Yeah, sounds like you had a bad time, pinky." Chuckled Sans.

Frisk and Papyrus both looked to see a very pink ghost and Alphys. It took her a moment to realize, "Mettaton…?"

Mettaton looked over and then floated to her. "Oh darling, I'm so sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Let me tell you I've had the WORST time. I know how you feel. You poor dear. Well, at least YOUR body wasn't destroyed. Count your blessings, darling, it could be worse." He smiled, "But it's so good to see you again. I've missed my adoring little family. But showbiz is what I live for and you know how it is. It's-"

"Enough about you, gumball. This is for Frisk." Said Sans silencing him.

"F-Frisk?" Alphys meekly approached. "W-w-well, you seem to have woken up. C-can you tell me what h-happened?"

Frisk nodded, "But… can we talk in my room? It's.. personal."

"Oh my…" said Mettaton, "Girl problems, darling?"

"No!!" she felt her cheekbones grow hot. "I just… Want to talk to you and Sans" she said looking back at Alphys.

"W-well… I-if you would be m-more comfortable then s-sure!" said Alphys with a smile. She looked over at Sans, "S-shall we?"

Once they were all in her room, Frisk made sure to lock the door before sitting on her bed beside Sans. "I… There's… a voice in my head. I don't know who they are but they… they're saying these things… awful things."

'you know who I am…' giggled the voice making her shudder.

"They're so angry… and evil!"

'Such a strong word. I'm just bored.'

"I-I can feel them, their emotions… It hurts." She whined as the presence's alien and perverted sense of glee emanated from them.

"A-a v-voice?" repeated Alphys. "B-b-but the only voice y-you've ever heard is G-Gasters, correct?"

She nodded, "But this one… I can't tell who they are. They don't even sound like a real person. Well… they do but something's so wrong about them."

"Chara…" said Sans grimly. His expression was of wary and anger but then it faded and he look at her concerned.

'Bingo, comedian…'

"Who's Chara?" asked Frisk.

Sans was silent but Alphys spoke, "S-sans…? Do you know t-this being?"

"Yeah… I know her…" Said Sans quietly. "I wish I didn't." he put his hand on Frisk's Shoulder. "Don't trust anything they tell you, all right, Frisk? They're insane and dangerous, that's no joke."

'Am I?' giggled the voice, 'or is he afraid I'll help you discover the truth?'

"They said… You hated me. That you were lying to me about things…"

"I-I'm with Sans! T-This Chara person doesn't sound very pleasant." she thought a moment. "I… I-I'm not sure what I c-can do other then examine your s-soul to make s-sure nothing's a-affected it… I d-don't know h-h-how to keep them o-out." she sighed and looked at Sans. "W-what do you think w-we should do, Sans?"

"You studied souls when you were the royal scientist, Alph. Remember the Amalgamates?" replied Sans.

Frisk remembered the day Alphys had revealed to them the nature of her research back in the underground. She had tried to modify monster souls to break the barrier but the monsters instead had turned into awful abominations. She shuddered.

'Heh, look! he wants to turn you into one of those things!'

Frisk ignored them but looked at Sans, "Brother… I… Chara told me things…" she decided not to continue as she looked at Alphys, "So, there's no way to keep them out?"

Alphys shook her head with a defeated expression. "M-My research might be able to examine your soul and see if t-they're leeching o-off it somehow. B-But, if you have s-such a strong c-c-connection it might n-not be possible to f-fix."

"We can't let Chara have her way." said Sans firmly, If there's a way to get rid of her I trust you to find it, Alphys. You gotta try!"

Alphys looked taken aback by his tone, "I… I'll d-do my best, S-Sans…" She sighed, "B-But I can't do a-anything here.."

"I understand." said Frisk. "But I don't want to leave my room for a little while. Will I need to come with you?"

Alphys nodded, "I-I have my machines set up in the s-school basement. I'll be able t-to perform he e-examination there… B-But if you don't w-want to g-g-go now I can do I-it whenever y-you want me t-to."

"Alphys will get to the bottom of this, sis." said Sans, "Don't worry, we'll get that little monster out of your life for good."

'And keep you ignorant to all of his sins…'

"Alphys… Can I talk to Sans alone?" asked Frisk.

Alphys nodded, "O-of course! I…I-I can come back l-later if you'd like m-me to leave."

Frisk thought a moment then nodded, "I'm sorry…"

"N-n-no! It's fine, d-don't worry. I u-understand completely." she smiled gently and looked over at Sans, "I-I'll make sure t-things are set up. Oh… uh… W-would it be a-a-all right if Mettaton stayed here for a-a c-c-couple days?"

"What? You want him to stay here?" Sans' eye twitched, "Why?"

"W-well… A-as you know t-the -w-w-wedding's n-next week… U-undyne and I… erm.." she blushed deeply. "W-well…"

Sans sighed but nodded, "I get it. Sure, he can stay in Pap's room, he'll like that."

Alphys nodded and looked over at Frisk. "T-try to g-get some rest, o-okay? I-I'll have things set up for w-when you're r-ready." 

Frisk nodded and Alphys left, closing the door behind her which Frisk got up and locked before turning to Sans.

"Frisk… what all did Chara tell you?"

Frisk felt tears forming in her sockets as Chara's giggle echoed through her mind.

"Do you…. hate me, Sans?"

He looked at her, bewildered. "Hate you? Kiddo, you're my little sis! I could never hate you." he grinned wide, "I told you, don't trust anything Chara says, okay?"

'Liar~!' cooed Chara. 'he dreams of killing you. He even writes down plans to do it!'

"What!?" Frisk cried out loud making Sans jump.

"What is it, Frisk? What did she say!?"

She shook her head. No, that was a lie!

'Remember this?' giggled Chara and San's voice echoed in her mind "or… destroy her… it's all we can do!" 'he said those things, you remember, don't you?'

Frisk began to shiver and fear crept into her bones. She looked at Sans and asked fearfully, "Do you want to kill me, Sans…?


	22. Monsterkin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster! Get your ass back behind that forth wall right now mister!

Gaster sat quietly in one of the examination rooms of the True Lab where he had Tonnis strapped down on the table across from him. The human had been easy to catch with his teleportation magic but… The boy hadn't gone down without a fight. He sighed, it hadn't been his intention to harm him yet he would have a bruise on his head for a little while.

Although he had thought to follow Tonnis back to his home and destroy it he had contemplated the undertaking of such an action and had instead brought him down here. There would be no interruptions here where secrets had been kept for so long, undiscovered and unrestrained. Here he could work out just what this child was. His capacity to perform magic was vast, that much had been obvious during his resistance to being captured. What could be lurking in his makeup could be the answer to monster's overcoming weakness to Determination. But… the war was no more. Experiments such as the ones he longed to perform would bring harm to Tonnis. He didn't want to hurt anyone else with his research.

No, this was something he needed to know. Tonnis represented a real threat to Monsterkind and it had been and always would be his duty to protect them. Most of all he needed this to protect Frisk and his sons.

He got up and flipped on one of the old soul examination machines. As it hummed to life he remembered standing in this same room long ago… Though instead of a human it had been Papyrus. Guilt crept into his bones but he shook his head to clear his mind. That was then, he was a different man now. 

He set about working on the machine to get it ready to work on Tonnis when the human groaned and he turned to see the boy open his eyes slowly before trying to break free.

"It is useless to struggle, Tonnis." he said quietly.

"Let me go!" demanded Tonnis, "You won't kill me like you did my family!"

"No, I will not." replied Gaster approaching with the apparatus meant to be placed on the chest and despite Tonnis' protests he attached it.

"What are you doing to me?!" Tonnis struggled more but the restraints held and with the machine on him it was hard to do much.

"Examining your soul." he replied calmly as he made sure the attachment was secure before going over to the machine. "I am going to sift through everything you have to offer me. If my guess is correct you might prove very useful in stopping this human threat against monsters once and for all."

"What? You talk about killing your own family. Why should creatures like you even exist?" he glared at Gaster, "I didn't want to believe it… but it was drilled into me that Monsters were murderous and belonged underground for a reason!" He tried to struggle again but gave up with a huff. "And now what? If you find what you need are you going to kill me like you did my ancestors!?"

"Their deaths…. were accidental." he replied, "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not that you will listen to me. However, I do not intend to kill you. Once my research is complete I would like to show you something outside of here… For now you should try not to move, this may be uncomfortable."

Tonnis glared at him but seemed to finally accept that there was no escape. Gaster turned back to the machine and activated it. The scanner buzzed as it did it's job. 

Interesting. These readings were nothing Gaster had ever seen before. The boy's soul was… he chuckled in spite of himself, how ironic.

"What is it?" snapped Tonnis.

"You are not human at all." said Gaster. "Your soul is that of a monster. You're the complete opposite of Frisk."

"What?!" Tonnis looked at him in disbelief. "You're lying…"

"The machine does not lie, Tonnis. You're parents may have descended from a monster and human union but the readings are clear. Your sickness is because your soul cannot handle Determination." he paused, "It makes sense now why your magic is much stronger then that of a human spell caster."

"But…" Tonnis looked lost for words.

Gaster sighed and flipped off the machine. This would not do…

"You cannot provide me with what I was hoping for after all. I had hoped something in your soul would give me what could protect monsters from Determination's influence so that they could give their all at protecting themselves from human attack. Unfortunately you are not human… So I have nothing to find." he thought for a moment then, "You heal rapidly. That fact might be why your magical makeup doesn't dissolve like a normal monster's would. But the fact remains that your body is more magic then matter."

"That's… But… If I'm a monster…" looking defeated Tonnis lay there silent.

Gaster approached and removed the scanner apparatus. "There is nothing more I can do here. If you come with me I would like you to see something."

After a moment Tonnis nodded and sat up dejectedly. "A monster…" he looked at his hands. "Then my elders… were training me to kill… my own kind?" he sighed and held his face in his hands.

Gaster put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Come. I think you will find that Monsters and Humans get along better then you think." he helped Tonnis down from the table and held out his hand which the boy hesitantly took after a moment.

"Did you know not every monster left once the barrier was shattered? During my time in the void I was able to watch while Frisk was safe. There are those that grew attached to this place. But that is not what I intend to show you." said Gaster as he lead Tonnis down the halls to the elevator. "Our old capital city is where we're going. You see, when monsters went up there were those among humans who came down here to live amongst those who stayed behind."

"Really…?" Tonnis sounded awestruck at such a possibility.

Gaster nodded, "Indeed. It seems there were humans as eager to escape the surface as we were to get there." he stood aside for Tonnis to enter the elevator then entered and pressed the button. They began to ascend toward the capital. "They have built quite the community there. I'm sure you will be happy to see what monsters and humans can accomplish when they see no difference between hand and paw, five eyes or two. It is something you desire to see on the surface as well, is it not?"

Tonnis nodded, "I wish people like my elders could just quit… But…" he sighed, "I'm sorry I ran away… but… Sans? Does he really plan on killing Frisk?"

Gaster was silent for a moment then, "My son has been through many traumatic experiences… His mind has yet to come to grips with the fact that there is no longer a need to fear someone like Frisk who has a power only one person in the entire world can hold at a time. That fact keeps him unstable and irrational at some points. But, he loves her. No, I was using that as… ammunition. To hurt him." he bowed his head, "It was childish of me. However, He needs to realize I am not his enemy."

"What kind of power does Frisk have? It mush be pretty extreme to scare Sans. He doesn't seem the type to scare easily."

"Frisk… has the power to control the ways of time in this world. Her determination is much stronger then a humans. Through that power she can reset what has been done or stop time entirely. Though, I have not told her of that ability so I doubt she has ever used it… It is a Reset Sans fears. Finding himself back here shut behind a barrier and the only one with any memory of the events that once were aside from myself and Frisk. She would never use that ability unless there was no other choice. I haven't made her aware of this ability either… to prevent her from an accidental Reset. I would only reveal how if events lead to there being no alternative."

"How is that possible…?" asked Tonnis, "The ability to control time?

"You would be better off not knowing. It is a secret only myself and those who watch us know…"

"Who are they?"

"The ones that read…" he shrugged, "Do not think about it too much… Ah, we're here." The elevator stopped before opening it's doors to reveal a thriving city.


	23. The truth can be a dagger across the ribs

Sans bowed his head as Frisk sat on edge, ready to flee. The voice in her head laughed.  
'Anything he denies… how do you know it's the truth?'

"Frisk…" he sounded very sad, "Do you remember your power to save?"

She was caught off guard by the question but nodded.

"There's a power… It's called a Reset." he sighed. "It's the power to return everything to the time that you fell into the underground. To erase the memories and events that have happened since then…"

"You mean turn back time? I… could do that? But why would I?!"

"You did. Again and again. You don't remember but you've done it so many times I lost count… I remember them all."

'What bullshit. Are you gonna believe that?'

"How can I believe that? I wouldn't take this back for anything!" she insisted.

"Because you could." he looked up at her, he looked on the verge of tears and she found herself in awe. The only time she had ever seen him this way was when Papyrus had been killed… He was telling the truth.

"You wanted to meet us again… but over time you got bored. You see, time repeats its self the same way save for a few changes depending on what you change from your last reset. Once you'd saved everyone over and over you were numb to the happiness it brought you." he sighed. "Chara… you and her are connected somehow. I don't know what she did but you… you began killing them."

"I would never do that!" she was terrified at the thought.

"You did." said Sans, "You killed a few monsters then reset because you were so torn up about it. But, over time Chara convinced you to go further, to kill more… Eventually you killed them all and I… I had to stop you." he looked away and a tear slid down his face. "I… Frisk, this reset is very different from those."

She was stunned into silence and disbelief. She found herself shaking because in her heart she could sense that this was truth… She had… "I… But… Sans, I…" she began to sob and Chara's presence was subdued by her anguish. "I'm so sorry! I-I'm sorry! H-how could…How could I do such a thing!?"

Sans held her in his arms, "Shh, it's all right, Frisk. It wasn't you, it was her. Chara's influence pushed you to do it. You were only human, you couldn't help yourself from letting her in."

She looked up at him. "H-human?"

He nodded. "You were always human… I don't know how he was able to do it but this time Gaster changed the beginning. He made you fall into the wall of the hole before you… Well, he made sure you died."

"Dad killed me on purpose?" Sans eye flickered but she ignored it. "But… why? I mean… this is the first time I didn't know I could Reset right?" Sand nodded, "Then maybe he erased my memories to keep me from killing again!"

"Maybe" he shrugged. "But somehow he couldn't erase Chara." he thought a moment then, "I can show you my notes… The ones on the other timelines. Would you like to see them?"

Notes about how she… she murdered her friends, her family?! She was shaking in fear and sorrow and clung to him sobbing. "Did you… D-did you kill me?" she felt his hand on her head and looked up to see him nod sadly. She felt horrible. "W-when…?"

"The last reset… When I helped you open the ruins I thought I would see the human you again… That I would have to face your revenge. But I couldn't believe my eye sockets. You didn't remember me. You didn't remember anything. I saw a little monster who was as new to this world as you were the first time you fell. I… I didn't know what would happen. I hoped you would never have to know. As you went along I watched the girl I had hoped would never come back become someone I never want to lose. But… But I never let myself believe things would always be different. The resets… So many that I can't help but think about them sometimes when I'm alone. I've been dreaming about them. It scares me sometimes, actually."

Frisk thought about what he had told her… A human. Such a thing seemed so alien to her. She sometimes found herself half believing she had always been a monster. Had always had her big brothers… A human that had murdered monsters.

"I'm sorry, Frisk. I never wanted to have to tell you… But if Chara's back then-"

"She might make me… make me…" she sobbed.

"No." said Sans in a stern tone. "Don't you even think it. You're not that Frisk and you never will be. You're not going to kill anyone."

"How can you know that!?"

"Because this isn't the first timeline I knew you this well… You sometimes were…" he trailed off.

"W-what? What was I to you?"

"Well," he paused for a moment. "In the timelines before Chara showed up you were like a daughter to me."

"A…" Suddenly she realized just why he had such an issue with Gaster. "You… Sans, you loved me that much and I still… I still…"

"Chara did it, Frisk. Not you."

Chara's laugh echoed in her mind. 'You idiot. If you hadn't killed then I would have never been able to possess you. I was you who killed first, not me.'

"Chara says that I… I did it… That she was able to force me to kill more because… I did it first…"

Sans hugged her tightly. "Human you. Frisk, a human can't understand our world. They don't realize that the consequences of their actions bleed through the timelines. You didn't know."

"I'm a murderer…"

Sans said nothing, as if he couldn't assure her otherwise. She fell limp and numb, not able to feel anymore anguish. it was too overwhelming. "…I'm not your sister… I'm not worth loving… I…"

"Hush!" demanded Sans in a tone that made her flinch. She found herself grabbed by the shoulders and face to face with him. "You are worth it. You are a good person! Don't you believe otherwise for a second! Chara's trying to make you quit. She thrives off misery. Don't let the past affect who you are now. You're my Frisk. You're the reason I can wake up in the morning and not feel like there's no point in living. Look, I don't know why Chara's back, but you gotta fight her. You gotta believe that you're not the human, you're not her!" he hugged her, "I love you Frisk. Don't do this."

She looked away, "Your notes… Did you really think about killing me if I tried to Reset again?"

"…If I had to." he let her go as she pushed away. "If Chara was the only thing left of you. But that didn't happen. God knows how thankful I am it didn't. I couldn't do it again." he got up, "I know you might not want to trust me anymore… I don't deserve your trust after what I… Frisk, kid… I don't want you to be afraid of me. But, I understand if you are."

She didn't know what to say. It was as if she finally really knew him. He… He only wanted it to stop. He wanted her to stop… She curled up and hugged her knees, this new reality was so… "Sans… I don’t want you to leave." she looked up at him, "Please don't leave."

He looked at her for a moment then nodded and sat back down. She leaned against him, "I don't want to be alone with her…"

"Frisk, we're gonna get that little bitch out of your head no matter what, okay?" He patted her head, "Alphys will figure it out. Until then you just keep in mind that you're loved. I'll always protect you."

"I don't know what to do now…" she wiped her sockets and sniffled, What happens now…?"

"Nothing." he replied, "This doesn't change anything. That was then, this is now. And now you know. Come on, let's go see what Pap's up to. Maybe get you some cocoa, would you like that?"

She nodded, wanting only to be near him and Papyrus and keep this feeling of hopelessness at bay… but something stabbed her senses as the realization hit her, "I killed him… didn't I?"

"That Frisk killed him." said Sans. "This Frisk, if I remember correctly, managed to help him be able to cook something finally edible." he chuckled "This Frisk helped him become a Royal Guard… well.. not that the Royal guard exists anymore. But, you're the reason he got into that school. Remember when you convinced that dean to let him in? I thought she was about to haul off and pinch your little cheeks you played the adorable card so well." His grin widened. "This Frisk is something special. You're a pretty amazing kid. Nothing can changed that, got it?"

'We'll see about that.' said Chara with a huff. 'I'll be watching you, Frisk…' with that she felt Chara's presence leave her mind filling her with relief. She held Sans' hand as they both left her room and entered the living room to see-

"What the hell is this!?" shouted Sans, startling Mettaton and Papyrus how were… oh. 

"Nothing!" insisted Papyrus.

"Nothing huh?" snorted Sans, "Looked like a whole lot of snuggling to be nothing."

"Hah, jealous?" wais Mettaton with a smirk.

Sans' eye flickered before he closed both of them and sighed. "Pap… you have extremely bad taste. I knew you had a thing for him but come on!"

"Well I…" Papyrus looked away and Frisk could tell he was blushing. She giggled.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny." snorted Sans. "Rule one, you two better cool it before one of you ends up having a bad time." he eyed Mettaton. "Geeze bro…" he shook his head and lead Frisk to the kitchen, "Frikin seriously…?"

All Frisk could do was giggle, "I'm glad Papyrus has someone special… Even if it is a gumball."

Sans chuckled, "He's not sweet, and this crap leaves me sour." he made a face and Frisk hugged him. "Well kid, that happened… Now, let's get you some cocoa!"


	24. Worry and dread

Frisk sipped her cocoa silently as she thought about what Sans had told her and what Chara had said. The thought that she had been human and capable of such horrible things wouldn't leave her mind. She wondered just what it was like to be human. Just what memories had left her when Gaster had transformed her? It didn't matter, she decided. It was as Sans had said, that was then and this was now. She was completely different and would never kill anyone. Her thoughts wandered to Chara… Just who was she? What was she? It was chilling to think that somehow she was connected to such a being… Suddenly it struck her! Chara, the name sounded familiar, she had heard Asriel murmur it in his sleep. She had to talk to him but he was with Toriel. She looked outside into the night for the sun had set while she had been talking with Sans. Tomorrow after School she would bring him home and ask him about Chara. He had to know more than she did. What could their past be? Had she possessed him to? Memories of her fight against him floated through her mind. He had been so angry but at what…? For some reason she couldn't remember everything. It was as if a fog was hiding things that had happened. From what she had been told he died granting the final wish of… A human… Chara. She was sure of it! Chara was the fallen human Asriel had died for…Wait. she knew that already! … didn't she? It was as if the memories of Chara were there, that she knew more about her. But, she couldn't remember… something was keeping her from it.

Chara hadn't talked to her since earlier. It was a relief but, she knew it wouldn't be then end of her. She missed her dad and wondered where he and Tonnis could be. Sans hadn't given her a straight answer…

She thought a moment about asking him and looked over to where he sat drinking a bottle of his ketchup and looking deep in thought. No, she wouldn't disturb him. But, where could they be? Gaster's emotions had been so strong this morning that she- wait! That was it! … He and Chara were able to contact her in her mind through magic right? She wondered if she could do the same.

How could she go about it? Could she even sense Gaster enough to try? She closed her eyes and focused. Worry for him guided her until- yes! That had to be her dad. She focused harder and tried to connect with him, it was a strange feeling as she felt his presence but it was backwards, she was in his mind rather then he in her's.

"Dad…?"

After a feeling of surprise he answered, "Frisk? Is that you?"

"Yes! I was so worried." a feeling of relief flowed through her, "What happened? I felt you and Sans' emotions… did you have a fight?"

"…A mutual disagreement, yes. There was an incident this morning… However, I took care of it. Tonnis is with me, I am showing him through the capital."

"Oh, are you introducing him to the others? I'm glad you two are okay!"

"We are fine. Is something the matter? You seem… Stressed."

Frisk was silent for a moment then, "Dad… Do you know who Chara is?"

Surprise echoed through their connection, "Indeed. Why?"

"She… She's in my head. She made me pass out in school and started telling me horrible things! Sans… Sans told me about the other Frisks. You made me this way to stop the resets, didn't you?"

"Yes." he replied. "I.. did cause you to die so that I could change the timeline… Do you… Resent me for it?"

"No! I love you, Dad! I understand why you did it, it's okay! I just… Did you find Chara when you were studying my soul?"

There was a silence, "Yes. Your soul was very strange to me. There seemed to be what I can only describe as a corruption about it… I tried to isolate it and purge it but it seems I was unsuccessful…" he sighed, "I am sorry, my daughter. Perhaps I could take another look? I can return home now if you wish." He paused, "Sans… did he tell you everything?"

"Yes… He told me everything I did. Everything he did… I understand why and I know why he hates you. Dad, it's not just because of your research… He said in some timelines he was like a father to me. I think that's another reason he resents you but… it seems so petty."

"…I will speak with him when he's ready… However, events from the other day have turned him more against me."

"Dad… what happened?" She asked concerned. "You were so angry…"

"There were humans from Tonnis' village. They threatened me and you all. I… You know that I have killed… I killed them. Sans and Tonnis happened to arrive just as it happened."

A chill ran through her bones. Killed? He'd killed humans from the village? … They.. they threatened him… it was… self defense, right?

"I will do what is necessary to protect my family." he said quietly.

"Dad I… You-you were just protecting us." she seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as assure him. "It's okay… I-I don't blame you. But Tonnis- did he…was he upset?"

"He fled and I tracked him down. I will not lie to you, I intended to study him and try to extract the source of his limited immunity to Determination. It is impossible however, as he is not a human… He is a monster."

"What? A monster?"

"Yes, a monster. To show him what such a thing meant and to show him that monsters and humans do in fact live in harmony I took him here to the capital where the humans that descended into the underground chose to stay. He seems to be happy at this realization... Should you need me too, I can collect him and return at once."

"Yeah… I need you, Dad." she admitted, "Please come home…"

"I will return shortly." he left their connection leaving her feeling slightly empty.

"Nyeh? Are you okay, Frisk?" asked Papyrus from the couch as a sleeping Mettaton lay in his lap. "You look worried."

She looked over and shook her head. "No, I'm all right Pap. Dad's coming home."

Sans looked up, "How do you know?" She explained what she had been able to do and he shrugged, "Great…"

"Sans…Brother, you have to forgive him sometime." she sighed.

He nodded, "I know… I'm just too tired to deal with him right now…" he got up. "I have a date with my bed. You okay there…Sis?"

She nodded, "Sleep good, Sans."

"Good night, Brother." said Papyrus cheerfully. Mettaton mumbled something in his sleep but didn't wake up. He pat the little ghosts head and looked over to Frisk, "Are you going to wait for him?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to him about things…"

Papyrus looked concerned and bowed his head, "I wish you would talk to me too. I don't like it when you and Sans keep things from me. I just want to know what's going on…" He looked sad.

"I'll tell you when it's safe, okay?" she promised. He nodded but said nothing. She opened her mouth to say something but then just lay back and closed her eyes to wait for Gaster.

Not long after the phone rang. Sans walked over form the hall entrance and answered.

"Sup, Alphys. Oh, Undyne? …What? Really!? Er, wow… I don't know anything, no… Er, do you think it was really monsters? Yeah, me neither… Something's not right. Yeah, I'll tell them. Just be careful, okay?" He hung up looking very worried.

"A bunch of humans were killed in town. It looks like monsters did it."

"What?!" exclaimed Frisk and Papyrus together.

Sans nodded, "Undyne said people aren't too happy about it. She said we shouldn't go down there for a while." He looked away, "Something doesn't seem right about it. Why would a group of monsters kill humans?"

"Nyeh… I'm wondering that too. Do you think we should do something?"

Sans shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "I don't think so. I think she's right."

Mettaton stirred from his sleep and looked up. "How dreadful! Should I go investigate?"

Sans snorted, "You'd make things worse, gumball." Mettaton scowled but said nothing. He turned to Frisk. "Looks like Tori'll have to watch Asriel for a bit. As for school? Well," he chuckled but more likely to calm himself down, "Guess you're on break."

Frisk shuddered and wished Gaster would hurry up. She curled up and hugged her knees and a quiet giggle echoed in her mind.


	25. Dread of degradation

Sans made his way over and switched on the TV, changing it from one of Mettaton's shows to the local news.

"-Current investigations suggest monster involvement but police cannot confirm until further investigations are made. We go now to Officer Undyne with her view on the homicide that occurred just hours ago. Undyne, what can you tell us?"

The camera switched to Undyne who was standing in front of a building Frisk assumed the humans had been murdered in. "As of now we can't really say anything has been confirmed. Due to the recent protests there's a possibility that this could have been a frame job. Until further information becomes available I can't really tell you much more. The victims looked as if they were killed prior to the gunfire heard. I have to say… Monsters don't normally use guns. There are very few who don't posses other methods of harm. However, I'm not able to say with any certainty which race committed this act."

The camera split and the anchor nodded. "Has this event caused any hindrance to the investigation efforts? I understand there are several monster aside from yourself that are a part of the police force."

Undyne shook her head, "Everyone on the force is putting all efforts into determining what happened… No attempts to disrupt the investigation have been made from within the force, no."

"I see, and what has the general public's reaction to this event been? There appears to be a few bystanders behind you."

"She glanced over and sighed, "… There are several…individuals that seems to think this is an excuse to increase tension between our races. I assure you they are not succeeding. We're here to get to the bottom of this, not fight over who did it. Whether it was Monster or Human assailants there is no excuse for such a crime." Another officer came over and muttered something to her and she nodded. "I have to tend to the investigation, excuse me."

The anchor nodded and the camera focused back to solely on them. "Well, this may be a blow to the current support of Monster integration efforts. Let's hope further conflicts don't follow. In other news-" they began to report something unrelated and Sans shut it off.

"I don't think I've ever heard her talk like that." he shuddered, "I think I prefer tomboy Undyne."

"Sans, I hardly think that's a valid topic right now." snapped Papyrus.

"How dreadful! Humans and monsters fighting again? This won't do! I should organize something to diffuse tension." Mettaton floated up from Papyrus' lap and Frisk could tell he was already thinking it through.

"You'd only make things worse." Replied Sans, not even looking at them. "This isn't good…" he looked over at Frisk, "You said Gaster'd be home soon?"

She nodded as the door opened as if on cue and Gaster followed by Tonnis entered. They both had grave expressions.

"It seems there has been a murder." said Gaster. Tonnis looked at the floor.

"We know," said Sans, "I got a call from Undyne and we saw the report." he pointed at the TV not looking away from Gaster, "…Is this how it started?"

They all looked from Sans to Gaster, wondering what he meant.

Gaster nodded, "Yes. However, we should not jump to conclusions so quickly. We will have to see how this plays out. For now I do not think it would be wise to travel far from home."

"W-what if more people from my village show up?" Asked Tonnis not looking up, "If… if they come looking for Zinn and the others they might…" he looked up fearfully, "Do we kill them?"

Frisk was surprised at the question, it seemed very odd coming from him after his insistence earlier that monsters and humans shouldn't fight. "Tonnis…?"

He looked away again. "I… I don't know what to do anymore. I'm not sure what I should do. But… I don't want to see you all hurt." He looked up as Gaster who put a hand on his shoulder. "What should we do if more come to…?"

Sans responded, "Let's not go there until we get a better idea of what's going on. This might be an isolated thing. As for your peop- the other humans, We'll just have to see what they do."

"Nyeh? Why did you change words, Sans?" asked Papyrus looking concerned and slightly confused.

"I'm.. not a human, Papyrus. I'm a monster like you." he smiled halfheartedly but then he caught sight of Mettaton. "Oh. Is this a friend of yours?"

"Why, I'm his beloved of course! I'm Mettaton, of course you've heard of me." Said Mettaton with a smirk.

"No." said Tonnis. His face fell and he looked over at Papyrus, "So… he's your boyfriend?"

"Why yes, darling, I am." said Mettaton as he snuggled into Papyrus.

"…Oh. That's cute." he smiled but Frisk could see disappointment in his face. Did he…? She wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better. It seemed that he liked her big brother too…

"Sans," said Gaster looking over to him, "May we speak in private?"

Sans stared at him for a moment then nodded. "I guess…"

Frisk tilted her head and wondered if she should say something. But, she decided they needed to talk to each other for once without one trying to kill the other… Well, at least she hoped that wouldn't happen. She turned to Tonnis and smiled, "Did you like meeting everyone down there?"

He tore his gaze away from Mettaton and Papyrus," huh? Oh! Y-yeah. It was really nice to see something like that… I wish that was how it could be on the surface." he looked away and sighed. "I'm worried that now people will try to chase monsters out of the city…"

"Nyeh… It's not good. I don't want people to start fighting." He returned Mettaton's snuggle, "But, why would something like this happen? Weren’t things getting better? I know they removed some of the signs down there."

"It's all right, Papy." said Mettaton. "I won't let anything happen to you." he looked over at Tonnis, "So, I'm curious, darling, how did you pop up? If you don't know who I am then you must be pretty isolated. You look like a human, is it a costume?"

Tonnis shook his head and flumped down in the recliner, "I thought I was a human but Gaster found out otherwise… Guess that means if things do get bad I'm on your side." he sighed, "I don't like this. My elders might jump on the opportunity to bring their militia here… There's more then a few towns back at my old home that would love this."

"Sounds dreadful." replied Mettaton, "Old home?" he looked at Papyrus, "Did you adopt another little monster?" he smiled.

"Erm.. Yes, actually! Tonnis lives here now. I'm very happy he's here." Tonnis smiled and Papyrus returned the gesture. "He's a lot safer with us."

"Sounds like quite a tale! Feel like filling me in?" he asked Tonnis. "I do love a good story."

"Well… Yeah, sure!" he nodded and told Mettaton what had happened up until then, leaving out the part where Gaster had… He ignored the chill.

"Wow! That's quite the adventure. I might remember that if I ever get back into showbiz." he smiled but his face fell. "We all have our down moments, darling. But things get better!"

"Mettaton's right!" said Papyrus cheerfully. "I'm sure Undyne will sort things out and the humans will like us again."

Frisk listened but was lost in a drowsy haze. Her thoughts wandered over the things that had happened when monsters first came back to the surface.

At first there had been a lot of panic. Monsters had stayed in shelters they built away from the city and tried their best to show the humans they meant no harm. There were conflicts. Shelters broken down, rocks thrown… It was hardly the peaceful existence they had hoped for…

Things changed as more and more humans came to see them. Most of them were curious and some of them scared but willing to give them a chance. It came to be that Monsters were able to move closer to the city and then finally into it and they began to find jobs along side the humans. Over time things began to become normal… But there were humans who hated them, berated and cursed them… Put up signs forbidding them from entering their stores and workplaces. She sighed, remembering how hard it had been to convince the city council to let Toriel open a school and even harder to convince parents to allow their children to attend.

The human children, taught to mistrust monsters by their parents would bully the other children. It got out of hand until Undyne came to work there. Many parents pulled their children from school when detention became a punishment. Which involved running laps under her sharp eye.

After it seemed like the school would have to close down there were humans who had come to them asking if the children who had no homes or access to education could attend. Toriel gladly accepted them and seeing them prosper helped convince parents of the pulled children to allow them to return. Monster children and human children became friends and in effect monster and human parents began to interact where before there was segregation and hate.

Things had been getting better over the last two years since they had surfaced. But now… What could happen to that peace? The thought scared her. She didn't want the humans to hate them again… Trough her connection she could feel similar emotions from her Dad and big brother but she couldn't be sure what they were talking about. Something told her things were about to change for the worse as a distant giggle echoed in the back of her mind.


	26. Like rats to an open wound

"They shouldn't let THEIR kind be a part of this!"  
"Yeah! How do we know some of them can't use mind control or something?!"  
"You beasts should go back where you belong!"

Undyne managed to keep her composure as she and the other officers under her examined the murder scene. She wished desperately that she could retaliate. To beat some sense into them.

But, for the sake of this peace and for the sake of Alphys she tried to block out the idiotic jeers from the humans. Mind control? She almost snorted a laugh remembering how she used to think humans could do the same.

She sighed as she helped look over the bodies. These humans… they didn't deserve this. No one deserved a death at the hands of another unless they were truly evil. Bullet holes marred them and she could tell that a human had done this… but there was no way to prove it. After all, whoever had done it made sure it was suspicious. They had found claw marks and blue blood at the scene. But, it couldn't be said if these were from a monster present or, the though made her feel sick, or those of a monster's parts brought to the scene…

"Sergeant! We think we've got something!" called one of the other officers. "A weapon."

She made her way over to the human as they held up the gun with a cloth to prevent cross contamination. On the handle were claw marks.

"Send it off to forensics to confirm any DNA." she ordered and they placed it into an evidence bag. Great… This wasn't looking good as far as convincing the humans this wasn't a monster attack.

"Sergeant?" one of the other officers approached, one of the former royal guards. "Like, what… Y'know, what will happen if.. if we can't… well like, if they… think we-monsters did this and stuff?"

"…Well" she put a hand on the bunny monster's shoulder. "I would take your husband and leave the city for a while if things go south, Harey." she looked over at the angry humans a distance away at the barriers set up by the force. "… I guess this was bound to happen. They never really accepted us." she huffed, "Stupid people. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just… Never mind." she looked back over at him "We'll get to the bottom of this. Once all the useable evidence is gathered we can call it a day. Just… I would make sure you two have a plan, okay?"

"…Undyne." he looked at her sadly. "Wow… If even you think it's a good idea to be, like, ready to retreat and stuff then it much be, like, totally bad… I-I'm really scared. I don't want anything to happen to Draco, like, I love that dude!"

As he walked away her thoughts turned to Alphys. Harey was right, any other time she would say stay and fight the humans off if they really wanted this peace to end. But to do so would put Alphys in danger. She growled in frustration and clenched her fist but regained her composure and looked over as the monster forensics officer approached. 

"How are we doing?" she asked.

They looked at their feet. "Well, we've gathered all we can. The coroner will be here to collect the bodies soon." they looked towards the crowd of humans who had mostly dispersed save for those who had murderous looks on their faces. "I-I think we should call it a day, sergeant… The sooner everyone's out of here the better."

She nodded. "All right, let's pack it in, people!" she called before making sure everyone was able to get away from the scene with out conflict. She knew there might be humans out there ready to jump any monster they saw. She sighed and held her face in her hands before collecting her things and returning to her cruiser.

"Alphys, you home?" she called walking in the door to their apartment and tossing her keys aside. "…Alph, honey?"

When there was no answer she shrugged and made her way to the kitchen where she grabbed a beer and then plopped down on the couch holding it to her forehead with a sigh. Working with humans was a pain… Well, not her force members, they were pretty okay! But, the others, the IDIOTS trying to keep them from doing their jobs and cursing the people trying to sort things out… it was just bullshit.

After a while she jerked away from the snooze she had slid into as she heard the door open and looked to see Alphys. "Hey." she smiled and got up. "Where've you been, Alph? I was kinda wor- Alphys, what's wrong!?" she swept forward and wrapped her arms around her shaking fiancé "What happened?"

"U-undyne… I-I'm all right… Just r-r-ran into a road block c-coming b-back from F-Frisk's… Humans.. t-they…" she looked away.

Undyne growled, "What happened?"

"T-they… W-w-well… h-heehee, I can al-always get a-another scooter!" She snuggled into Undyne and sobbed.

"Shh, shh, it's going to be okay, Alphys…" she replied rubbing Alphys' head. "Tell me where and I'll call someone over there… If I go we'd have a bigger problem with humans than we already do."

"N-no! I'm fine r-really!" she squeaked. "… I-I'm more w-worried about F-Frisk…" she sighed and sat by Undyne on the couch and leaned against her. "S-she's… W-well… I'm going t-to h-help her through I-it!"

"Is the kid okay? Should I go check on them?"

Alphys shrugged. "I-I don't know a-about that, Undyne… S-sans is t-taking care of h-her."

"Then it's probably pretty important that I do, huh?" she grinned toothily, "That lazy bones can't care for himself! … But, you need me more." she snuggled the little lizard and rested her chin on her head. "Things… might get bad, Alphys." she admitted, "I want you to look into finding safe places for Monsters to go. The underground, shelters, anywhere."

"D-do you really th-think things w-will… get th-that bad?" she looked up, worried. "Y-you're not l-like this…"

She laughed softly, "I'm just tired, Alph." she yawned, "Let's go rest, I think we both need it. A nice shower and bed sounds pretty good right now."

Alphys nodded, "S-sounds good." she smiled.

Undyne returned the smile but made a note to visit the skeleton family to check on them when she could. After all, they were pretty isolated way up there. But, humans attacking Alphys… maybe it might be a good idea to move there for a bit? Hah! Not with Mettaton, no way! … Though… those brothers and Frisk were pretty powerful… She yawned again and decided to think more on it after their nap before carrying Alphys upstairs while the distant sounds of sirens and muffled yelling could be heard from further in the city.


	27. Nightmare

"It's a beautiful day outside…"

Huh? Frisk found herself in complete darkness. She tried to move but it didn't seem to be working and confusion filled her.

"Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming…"

Sans? Was that.. Sans? Where was he..? She looked around and saw a golden light approaching from a distance. What's happening?

The voice came again but halfway though… Chara's voice chimed in.

"On days like these…" 'kids like us…'

"Should be burning in hell!" the monstrous fusion of voices and a flash of bright light stunned her but a split second later she felt herself moving but not at her will. 

What was this place?! she was in a huge corridor with pillars and- look out! She felt herself dodge a bone attack that came from- Sans?! She tried to call out to him, he looked so furious. But instead of her it was Chara that answered.

"Tell me, comedian, isn't hell what I've made for you right here?" they dodged again as another attack barely missed them and to her horror Frisk found her self using a dusty knife clutched in her hands to carve her way through the next attack. "You're all alone~" she giggled.

"You can't understand how this feels…" sighed Sans.

"I can. But why try? After all, what we feel is meaningless isn't it, Sansy?" she giggled, no Chara giggled… they both giggled? This was so confusing and horrible! She wanted to cry out as she lunged herself at him with murderous intent. To her relief he dodged but a split second later sharp pain pierced her stomach as a wall of bones slammed upwards from the ground and knocked her back.

"Look, kid… I don't know why…" he launched another attack which they dodged. "Why you like doing this so much. But isn't it time to call it quits?" He looked at them sadly, "When is enough gonna be enough for you, Frisk?!"

"Why?" they sneered, "Why stop? This is fun isn't it, Sansy? Doesn't it excite you? After all, playing with lives is so much better than saving them!"

He looked disgusted. "Frisk… No, who are you? You're not my Frisk!"

They cackled, "You're right AND wrong there, comedian. I AM your Frisk."

No! This was a nightmare! She tried to revolt as she again lunged at him with the knife and they gasped as bones slammed them away again. No! What’s going on?!

"You're not Frisk. You're the real monster here. Well, whoever you are you might as well just give up. Because I'm not gonna let you past me." spat Sans.

"Do you… want to kill me, Sans?" they asked in a sickly sweet tone. that made Frisk feel sick to her stomach though she hadn't one.

They volleyed attacks as he growled, "Yes." he dodged another slash, "If you won't quit then I will MAKE you!"

"Do you… hate me, Sans?" they giggled and Frisk wanted nothing more then to die.

Sans didn't answer and instead summoned his Gaster Blasters, so many of them! They dodged blast after blast until- NO! they cried out in pain and slammed to the ground.

So… tired… Frisk looked up to see Sans standing over them. "Heh, then kill me, DAD!" she jeered and took the opportunity given by his flinch to drive the knife deep into his ribs. "Kill her… it's… all her fault…" they sobbed as they looked into San's fearful eyes.

Sans eye glowed as he looked down and they both saw that the blade had gone right through without hitting him. "Kid… Who are you?" he asked as Frisk got off of him and backed away before sliding down against a pillar. "You killed everyone. Everyone I loved, everyone YOU loved… or at least you seemed like you did… Frisk did, not you." his eyes faded, "No, you killed them. Papyrus… Undyne… everyone she saved and befriended… YOU drug us back down here time and time again!" 

His voice was so full of hatred that Frisk wanted to run as far away from him as she could but Chara sat and listened.

"Why, kid? Just for FUN?! Just because you could..?" he sat down too, looking exhausted. "Because you can reset… and it doesn't matter does it? Hell, if I kill you you'll just come back again, huh? Whoever you are… even if Frisk is still in there it won't matter?"

"Yes." they spat back cruelly. "Because we can. Because we have to… right? Isn't that how it works? If you can do something evil then why bother thinking of others?" they giggled. "Who cares who you hurt in the process if you're having fun?!"

She felt tears slide down her cheeks as Sans sat there studying her with fear and hatred. "Why care if it's… fun?" she giggled cruelly. 

"Kid…" Sans sighed and paused for a moment. "If that's really how you feel then do it, kill me." he looked at the ground, listless.

"What…?" they asked.

"Why not? Even if you do you'll just come right back, right…? You don't think I remember as much as I do… what is this, the fifth time you've reset after killing me? … I'm done, just end it all ready. There's nothing to prove anymore but you'll keep going until you get bored and quit, huh? Maybe… maybe if I don't fight you anymore then that…" his eyes seemed to close some as his voice got softer… "Then… you'll just… stop…" to her surprise he slumped over asleep!

This was her chance to kill him! What?! No! She had to help him!

… No, kill him! Kill him and do it all over again. After all there were so many more ways to torment him…

NO, Stop it! She grasped her head as a flood of different emotions and confusion blinded her.

'End this…' She found herself getting up and making her way towards sans as much as she also wanted to run far away. Their arm raised, knife at the ready- no!

Agony pulsed through them as a cluster of bone spikes impaled her from the ground. So much pain!!! her insides were bursting from the magic and the wounds. Blood poured from her face and she coughed up more as he vision began to fade…

"I love you, Frisk… But please… Never come back." Sans voice echoed before all she knew was darkness once more.

"Sans!" cried Frisk as her eyes snapped open. She tried to move but found herself restrained with magic as Gaster and Sans stood over her. "Huh-?! D-dad, Sans, what's going on!?

"You were having an… episode." replied Gaster loosening her binds, "I restrained you to prevent you from hurting yourself."

"You okay, Frisk?" asked Sans in a worried tone, "Did you have a bad nightmare?"

Frisk looked around a moment and tried to calm down. They were in her room, she was safe…? "It was horrible! I-I was Chara-or-Chara was me? I don't know!" she felt herself begin to cry, "I was fighting you, Sans… I-I couldn't stop! I almost killed you!" She sobbed and could say no more.

Sans and Gaster exchanged looks and Sans sighed, "Yeah, I get those too… Nightmares of the past…"

"So she may be experiencing memories from her previous, human life?" asked Gaster.

"Yup." replied Sans. "Like the ones I have sometimes about… Well, explains why she was freaking out in her sleep."

"You mean that happened…?" asked Frisk between sobs. "I really…"

'wasn't it fun~?' Chara cooed in her head.

"No! Get out of my head, leave me alone you horrible demon!" she cried as she clutched her head.

"Gaster, we've gotta figure out a way to get rid of Chara once and for all!" Insisted Sans.

Gaster nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. "We will, Sans." he nodded, "Frisk, I have a theory as to how Chara became active once more in your soul. I am not sure if it is correct but if so then there may be a way to, if not remove, put her back in dormancy." 

'Wishful thinking.' said Chara, 'Try all you want, Frisk, you will NEVER get rid of me.' she giggled.

Frisk whined, wishing more than anything to be rid of her. "Do anything you can, Dad… I just want her gone…"

'You seem to be confused as to what exactly I am.' Giggled Chara. 'There's nothing anyone can do to get rid of me but you~'

"What…?"

'Oh it's a simple matter to get rid of me, you idiot. I'm only a memory after all. Erase me if you really want to~'

"Huh? Why would you tell me that?" Frisk cringed as glee from Chara seeped through her bones.

'Because, you will never do it.' giggled Chara.

"Try me…"

'All you have to do… is~'

"Just tell me!"

'…Reset.'

A chill struck her marrow as Chara giggled.


	28. Retreat

"So what's your idea, Gaster?" asked Sans as they left Frisk's room after calming her down and having Gaster put her to sleep.

"Chara must have been siphoning off Frisk's energy for a while now in order to gain the strength to reemerge." Replied Gaster with a thoughtful expression. "If we can drain her of that energy then she should become dormant once more and give us time to figure out a way to purge her."

Sans nodded, "But how would we go about that without hurting Frisk? The poor kid's been through enough…"

"… Indeed. However," Gaster paused as they entered the living room where Papyrus, Mettaton, and Tonnis were all waiting and looked up with concern as they entered.

"How is the poor Darling?" asked Mettaton popping up from Papyrus' shirt collar.  
"Yeah, is Frisk okay?" added Tonnis.

Papyrus sighed, "It's the same, isn't it? Nightmares just like yours, brother…?" 

Sans nodded and sighed, "Yeah, bro, exactly the same…"

"Nightmares made her do that?" Tonnis pointed to the red bones sticking out of the floor from where Sans had had to dodge Frisk to keep from getting impaled. "Is… she going to be okay, Gaster? Y-you can make her better, like me right?"

"Let's hope so!" said Mettaton, "The poor dear was so scared… You'll be able to do something, right Sans? That's awful..."

Sans bowed his head but Gaster put a hand on his shoulder and he nodded, "Yeah… We'll be able to get rid of Chara, soon…"

"You can't really sound convincing if you don't believe what you're saying, Sans…" Said Tonnis meekly. "S-sorry.." he looked away, "I just wish there was something I could do. She's a good person…"

Gaster was silent for a moment then, "Indeed… but she was not always. Hmm.." he looked at Sans. "Might I take another look at your notes, Sans?"

"Yeah, sure thing." replied sans motioning Gaster to follow him as the two left to his room.

"Well, they seem to be more behaved around each other now." said Mettaton with a quizzical look as he floated back into Papyrus lap. "I guess they made up…"

"I'm glad for that…" Papyrus smiled sadly. "But I'm very worried about Frisk."

Mettaton snuggled against him, "Me too, sugar skull… But! She's a strong kid." he smiled. "You always say believe in people, so we shall!"

Tonnis smiled but looked away from them, his cheeks slightly red. "Yeah, well… What I wonder is what exactly this Chara monster has against Frisk? Did they know each other in a past timeline?" 

They looked at him blankly.   
"Timeline? What do you mean, Darling?" asked Mettaton.

"I'm not sure if they've ever met in one, Tonnis." answered Papyrus, "I think Chara was always dead a long time before she fell down here… Nyeh… it's hard to imagine how they could have even had contact let alone one possessing the other."

"What are you two talking about…? This sounds interesting but I could use a little more info. Care to share?" asked Mettaton.

Papyrus opened his mouth to speak when a hard knock on the front door made them look up. Before any of them could get up, Gaster made his way down the hall and to the door.

No more then a split second after opening it, he was knocked back as a blue, scaly fist connected with his face.

"Oh shit! Sorry, I wasn't expecting… Wait a sec, W.D. Gaster?! The hell? I thought you were in Frisk's head!"

"Hello, Undyne…" said Gaster rubbing his cheek and stepping aside. "Forgive me if I do not return the same manner of greeting…"

Undyne's face was red with embarrassment and nerves. "Uh, yeah! Sorry. I'm a little on edge… Oh shit, that's right! Guys, there's been a lot of bad things going down in the city. The humans got pretty pissed about the murders and they're starting a riot! Every monster's in a panic. Most of them are heading up here. I came here to ask if you guys would help out making sure people get back to the underground all right until we can calm this down."

"The monsters are retreating?" Gaster sighed, "The humans may take that as a sign of surrender. It would be better to fight fire with fire, so to speak."

"Normally I'd be right with you there." said Undyne, "But It's not worth putting our families at risk."

"What about the humans in the underground?" asked Tonnis approaching, "There's more than enough down there to put up a good… argument?"

"You mean fight, huh?" asked Sans coming down the hall. He looked over at Undyne, "If they go back underground they're trapped… Once you hit the ruins there's just a dead end."

Realization sparked in Undyne's eye and her ear fins drooped. "I didn't think about that!"

"There is a place to hid those who cannot fight… I that is what it is coming down to. Are you sure there is no way to prevent this? This is after all only one city… Surely there are many others where Monsters aren't so despised?"

Mettaton floated over to them, "There are a few places… But, even I had trouble wherever I went. Hm, what about going to their king? Do humans have one?"

"I don't think so, Mettaton." said Tonnis, "There are a lot of human cities and villages but those are mostly run by elders and chiefs individually…" he thought a moment, "I know Toriel gave up her royalty but did Asgore? If he's still our king then there might be some way to calm this all down! If humans do have a king then we can find them and negotiate!"

"How to you suggest going about that if we do not even know the humans have an overreaching monarch?" asked Gaster.

"I've got an idea." said Sans as he looked at Undyne, "Alphys still has UnderNet up and working for the people down there, right?"

"Uhh, I think so." nodded Undyne. "Why?"

"If she can find monsters still using it above ground in other places then one of them might know more. In the meantime we can use the human's Internet and hope no one's watching for monster IP addresses to block… If…" he looked over at his brother, "You remembered to stay away from those sites I told you about, right bro?"

"Nyeh…" Papyrus looked nervous, "I was meaning to tell you but… the computer is… not feeling well?"

Undyne sighed and put her face in a webbed hand as she muttered, "I'll get Alphys to do it…" she looked back outside with her fins raised, "Monsters should be showing up soon. The underground might not be the best option but for now we need a place to put these people! There are children coming…"

"Then we will help anyway we can." Said Gaster with a nod.

From outside the distant voices of Monster could be heard coming up the mountain. Everyone approached the door as Undyne lead them out to wait.

"We just have to hope Frisk stays asleep until we can get everyone safe…" sighed Sans. "Undyne, mind if I go see Alphys while this is going on? I need to talk to her." he looked over at Gaster, "You're probably able to help more then I could."

"You're seriously skipping out on this!?" Snapped Undyne. After a moment she sighed, "Do what you have to, Sans."

With a nod Sans summoned a portal and disappeared.


	29. A mother's plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys has more at stake than herself if things go further downhill...

Sans sighed as he stepped out of the portal in front of Alphys' apartment door. The sounds of shouting and sirens was close by. He looked over the railing to the street below and could see a crowd of humans wandering around and destroying anything in their path. This was a monster neighborhood and he longed to give those humans a bad time… but this was more important. 

Great… it's like they were just waiting for an excuse. He shook his head and knocked, from within a tiny squeak answered.

"T-there are n-n-no m-monsters h-here!" Alphys sounded terrified.

"It's just me, Alphys." said Sans quietly. After a moment the door opened a crack, "Hey there. Normally I'd have made a knock knock joke but… guess this isn't the time for jokes, huh?"

The door swung open and he wound himself being clung to tightly as Alphys sobbed.

"Oh S-sans, it's t-terrible!" she wept.

"I know." he said softly putting a boney hand on her head and helping her back inside before sealing the door with magic. "But we'll get through it, no problem."

He helped her to the couch where a strange looking object sat half wrapped in blankets it looked just like an… 

"Alphys… Is that an egg?" he asked.

Alphys eyes grew wide and she blushed, "Y…Y-yes.. I…" she buried her face in her hands, "Oh S-Sans! I'm s-s-so afraid!" she shivered with sobs as he wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him, "I-I never t-thought t-t-this would happen or I-I would h-have… I… W-what if something h-happens to it?!" she looked at her egg, tears streaming down her face, "What if t-they s-s-smash…" she couldn't say more and just wailed.

"Shh… It's going to be okay Alphys.." He said trying to comfort her as he to looked at the egg. A baby in the middle of this mess? Poor Alphys… Poor Undyne. He sighed, this was just getting worse and worse. "Is there someplace safe you can hide it? Does it need anything?" he knew some monster eggs would be fine left alone until they hatched but some needed incubation or constant magical presence.

"I…I-I don't want to l-l-leave it…" she whimpered.

He thought for a moment then bowed his head, "Alphys… I think it would be safer underground… In the true lab. You and Undyne should go there as soon as you can. She's already there-"

"N-no Sans…" She sighed, "That's no place for a baby…" she took of her glassed and wiped her eyes, "…W-why did y-you c-come? I-is Undyne all r-r-right?"

He held her for a moment as she sobbed quietly before speaking, "Those humans that were killed… What if whoever did it took the souls?"

She looked up at him, "T-The souls…?" she slid out of his arms and hugged herself, "H-Humans c-can't absorb monster s-souls,"

"What if humans didn't do it?"

"W-what? W-Why would monsters kill h-humans? W-Why w-w-would t-they want t-this to h-h-happen?"

"Let's just say for the sake of argument that is was monsters that killed them. Is there anyway to track them down?"

She thought for a moment, "S-sans… There are w-way to many h-h-humans to distinguish a f-few souls from the r-rest…" she paused, "B-But if it was monsters… T-then even ONE s-soul would m-m-make them strong e-enough to… to…"

"To kill every single human on the surface." Sans finished and Alphys nodded. "Damn… and with more it would be Asriel all over again." he put his face in his hands. "This is bad."

"S-s-sans… I-I'm so s-s-scared…" she leaned against him, clutching his jacket.

"… So am I, Alphys… I really am…"

They sat in silence for a while, clinging to each other for comfort. It seemed there was no way to stop another war from breaking out… But if those human souls were absorbed then it wouldn't be a war at all… It would be Genocide. The reality of that and the thoughts of Frisk trapped in her own mind with Chara were overwhelming. Sans tried his best to steady his mind which was threatening to fall apart.

"We have to try to find those souls, A-Alphys… If we don't then the humans don't stand a chance."

She was silent. Sand looked down at her, "Alphys…?"

She muttered something then, "Would…That be so bad…?" she said without a stutter as she hugged her egg, "If… If they were all gone…"

Sans couldn't think of anything to say… She was right, if there were no more humans then his family would be safe… His brother, his sister.. his f-… Gaster, would be safe.

No, no, that wasn't right. Papyrus wouldn't stand for it and the last thing he needed was his brother running off to try and stop the war himself. He curled up and hugged his knees, trying to think of something, anything they could do…

He wasn't sure how long he was asleep, having dozed off leaning against Alphys, before there was an odd sounding knock on the door and his eyes snapped open, the left one alight with blue.

"Who's there?!" he demanded as Alphys stirred next to him with a sleepy groan.

"It… me…" said a familiar, depressed sounding voice, "I… thought I should knock… so I used some magic to throw a rock…. sorry…. I can come back later… if you're busy… I understand…"

"It's okay, Napstablook, come in…" said Alphys in a weary tone.

"Oh… okay…" The little white ghost, Napstablook, floated through the door. "I wanted to make sure you and Undyne were okay……. Are you okay…?" he floated closer and his eyes landed on the egg, "Oh…." he looked at Alphys, "Is that yours and Undyne's…?"

Alphys nodded and he stared at it for a moment looking thoughtful, "…Do you… need a place to hide…? You can come to my house…. if you want… If not I understand… It's hidden and no one visits me… I was coming to see if you and Undyne had a place to hide…"

Sans and Alphys looked at each other before Sans said, "Alphys… It's a place to go. You should take your egg and go with him. I could open a portal for you."

Alphys shook her head, "Thank you, Napstablook… But I won't leave Undyne alone…"

"Oh… Okay…"

"Alphys," said Sans sternly, "You have to hide!"

"NO SANS!" she shouted making both him and Napstablook flinch, even she looked surprised at her own outburst, "No… I won't let my baby live in a world plagued with fear." she looked up at Napstablook, "You can't die!" She gasped as a look of what was almost excitement graced her face. "Napstablook, you're incorporeal, you can help us!"

"…I can? … Oh.. Okay." he floated down to eye level to them. "… What can I do…?"

"Do you think you could try and track down the souls stolen from the humans that were killed?" she asked, he looked at her blankly, "Your hearing is a lot better than most monsters. You could listen and see if anyone's talking about them. Please, Napstablook! Will you help us?" she pleaded.

"… Yeah… I'll do my best, Alphys… I'm sorry… but I heard you guys talking earlier and I… listened… I don't want to see a war… I'll see what I can do…"

"Thanks, Nap." said Sans getting up. He turned to Alphys, "I have to get back to check on everyone. Do you want to come with me? That egg will be safer at our place."

Alphys hesitated then slid off the couch carefully clutching the egg and nodded.

"… I'll come over if I find out something…" said Napstablook, "… good luck you guys…" with that he hovered back through the door as Sans put a hand on Alphys shoulder and opened a portal.


	30. We are one.

"Please… Stop this, Chara…" Frisk sobbed as she pulled away the dusty knife in her hands from the crumbling corpse of her dream Sans. "Don't make me kill them anymore…"

She sunk to her knees as Chara stood over her wish a spiteful smile.

"Why? Don't you enjoy this? Didn't we enjoy this?" she giggled, "You did this… Do you think just because you can't remember that you can just pretend it didn't happen? Come on, Frisk, one more time."

"Stop this…" she held her head. The corridor faded to darkness once more and she hugged her knees.

Chara sat down beside her and put her arm around Frisk's shoulders. "You didn't."

"I… I know." she sobbed, "I know I did… even if I don't remember… But.. why, Chara? Why are you making me do this over and over!? … how can you enjoy this?"

Chara was silent for a moment then, "How many times do you think you made me kill them?"

"What?"

"Frisk, you don't get it do you? You did this, not me." she smiled hatefully.

"What…? What do you mean?" She looked up to see Chara's face fall.

Chara sighed, "You're sick, do you know that, Frisk?" she looked up and glared at her, "You forced me to kill my family… My friends." she scoffed, "You think I'm the evil one? Frisk, you were the one in control. No matter how much I begged you to stop. No matter how many times you reset you wouldn't stop…" she backed away and got comfortable, her red eyes closed for a moment, "Do you know… how much I loved them?"

"You… No! You're the one that kill-"

"WHY WOULD I KILL MY FAMILY?! MY BROTHER?!" she screamed and stood up. "You're the evil one here, Frisk… And I'm going to make you kill them again and again! Your brothers… when I let you wake up you'll kill them for real! I'll drive you to it!"

"Chara…" Frisk wiped her sockets and sniffled, "Why would I kill… my family?"

"Why not? Why Frisk! Why do you think you can escape from what you've done to me!?"

The golden lit corridor faded back into view, "Who should we kill this time?" Chara snorted a laugh, "What death should I drive into your mind next?"

"I know I killed them!!" cried Frisk, "I know… I'm so sorry…"

"SORRY!?" Chara snapped her fingers and Frisk found herself back in the corridor, standing with the knife in her hand. "What makes you think 'sorry' is going to cut it?"

Frisk forced herself to drop the knife using what little determination she could muster in this dream realm. "Chara… I don't even know what I did to you… I… I know I'm at fault… But please, let's just talk, okay? If you… If you love them… Chara, he's alive! Asriel's alive… do you think he… would want this?"

"DON'T YOU DARE USE HIM AGAINST ME!!" shrieked Chara as she rushed at Frisk, knocking her to the ground. "Don't you dare… say his name." she slapped Frisk across the face and grabbed her shoulders, pinning her down. "You don't deserve to see him! You… you don't deserve to be the one alive!!" Tears formed in her red eyes, "You don't deserve to see Mama and Dad! I DO!"

"…Chara… they wouldn't want this. Please…" Frisk managed before Chara shook her, making her head slam against the tile floor and punched her as she cried, he tears wet against Frisk's face as they fell onto it."

"If I could really posses you… You would be the one in my head! You would be the one trapped in a place no one can see you and forced to watch a world that hates you because of someone else!!" She slammed Frisk down again and again, "You. Did. this!!!"

Panicking, Frisk used all her will to summon her magic and send Chara flying back. Not for long as the other child rushed her again. A blast of red magic filled the room and she blocked the blow. Suddenly Frisk felt a strange and familiar power within and drove herself deeper and deeper into it until… until there was nothing."

"W-where are we!?" demanded Chara as the light faded.

Frisk knew this darkness for she had stayed so long in it before with her Father… She had somehow been able to send them to a place she felt safe, "The void."

"Did you kill us!?" demanded Chara, "What did you do, Frisk!?"

"Chara… You can't hurt me here. You have to talk to me." she said quietly.

"You little bitch!!" screamed Chara, "What is there to talk about?!"

"Chara! Do you want them to die?!" Frisk grit her teeth, it was her turn to glare. "Because they will if you don't calm down!"

"Are you threatening me?" Hissed Chara.

"Didn't you hear them? My brothers, my dad? Chara, I remember them. I don't know how long… how long you've kept me a prisoner but, don't you remember them talking about those humans dying?"

"What about it?"

"What if… what if while we've been fighting the war really came? What if they're dead…?"

A look of surprise crossed Chara's face, "… Do you… Do you really care, Frisk?"

Frisk nodded and thought a moment before holding out her hand, "Chara, please… Let's stop fighting and start fighting for what matter to both of us the most."

Chara backed up with a look of thoughtful anger then after hesitation she grasped Frisk's hand and smiled, "You're right, Frisk. We should think about what's really important." She suddenly pulled Frisk forward and stabbed her with a summoned knife and whispered, "Do you think I'm an idiot. A murderer like you doesn't give a damn, you never will!"

Frisk screamed in agony as Chara twisted the knife and drive it deeper, it hurt so much! "C-Chara…" she choked as she tried to fight through the pain, "I…" she raised her arms, "C-Care…" Using all her might she managed to wrap her arms around the vengeful child who gasped, "I'm…s…so s-sorry…" she felt her strength draining and her arms fell limp to her sides as both of them sunk to their knees.

Frisk was vaguely aware of the knife being pulled out and clattering to the floor as she fell back, her strength waning. "C-Chara…"

"Why…?" said Chara quietly, "…why did you have to forget? Why did you have to change?" tears ran down her cheeks, "Why can't I just kill you…?" she sobbed and held her face in her hands.

Weakly, Frisk crawled over to her and sat up, she embraced her again despite Chara's weak attempts to push her away. After a moment Chara returned the embrace.

"Chara… I don't know how I forced you to live through what I did… but, even though I don't remember what I did… I understand if you can't forgive me."

"I… Frisk, I…" Chara sobbed, "I've always been with you…"

"How is that possible?"

"You… you never really knew did you?" Asked Chara leaning against her. "Frisk… you are me… we share the same soul. You and I.. we are the same, I was reborn as you. But… for some reason I remained separate, locked in your mind, begging you to stop…" She fell limp, "But… Sans is right. You're not evil anymore, I felt the strength of you kindness, of our determination to do the right thing." She sat back as Frisk let her go and smiled as she wiped her eyes, "That frisk is dead… she died when Gaster killed us. I.. was so hurt, so angry. But you…"

"Chara… I…" Frisk couldn't find the words to say, emotions surged through her, regret, sadness… relief? "We don't have to fight anymore."

Chara nodded, "I can see that now." she stood up and held out her hand, "My soul, it's healing… Our soul. Here… I can't ever stand with you, but I can do this…" A dull glow formed above her hand and flickered into a red heart, a soul heart. "This is yours, my half of your soul… Take it, Frisk." she sniffled and smiled sadly, "Protect our family."

"But… if I do then what will happen to you?" asked Frisk.

"Frisk, we'll always be one. But if I give you my power, the half I've been keeping from you out of hatred, then we can stand against anything. I don't think I could forgive myself if they were killed because I was blinded by need for revenge against a being that doesn't exist anymore."

Frisk stared at the heart in awe then slowly reached out and touched it. Red magic swirled around her, shooting into soul heart that dwelled in her chest. A surge of power flowed through her as her body began to change, growing. Her form older, stronger. As the power was absorbed Chara slowly began to fade away. As she disappeared Frisk heard her say, "I forgive you…"

Frisk groaned sleepily as she opened her eyes a crack… Tears streamed from her sockets as she smiled sadly. "Thank you…"

As if from a far off memory, she heard a happy giggle before what was left of Chara finally faded away into the faraway reaches of their soul.

"Chara… I promise we'll stop this war, together." she sat up and looked herself over. She… needed bigger clothes, she realized with a chuckle as she looked over her adult form. Things would be okay… Everything would be okay now.


	31. Protective instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys, girl chill...

With a yawn Frisk got up and made her way to the closet to look for something that would fit her new body. No such luck… Hm, Sans' clothes were too small but, maybe Papyrus had something? She quietly poked her head out of the door and made sure no one was in the hall before she crept to her brothers room and slowly opened the door. The room was empty and she crept over to the closet. Papyrus' taste in clothing was… unique. She looked through his shirt and found one that wasn't 'modified' with marker. The material was soft and she slid it on to find it a good fit. It reached her knees almost but it was good enough. Looking through the drawers she found a pair of blue jean shorts and put those on as well. Now that she was clothed she made her way to his mirror and looked over her reflection. She looked almost grown up! She touched the mirror and looked over her new body, this would take some getting used to.

She carefully left the room and closed the door silently before making her way towards the living room where she could hear Papyrus and Mettaton talking.

"I don't know, sugar skull… If we go with the rest of them it might be safer then staying." said Mettaton.

"Nyeh.. but what about Sans and Frisk? I… don't think moving her would be safe."

"Darling, Frisk will be fine with Gaster. We should go."

"I won't leave, Mettaton. I have to stay here and protect them. Sans isn't back yet and… Well, I don't know where Gaster has gone."

"Well… I suppose if you're sure you want to stay then I'll stay too."

Frisk carefully made her way to the end of the hall and peeked in. The room was empty save for her brother and Mettaton. She wondered where everyone had gone until she heard voices outside. She could hear Undyne's voice over them. It sounded like she was leading whoever else was out there further up the mountain. She tilted her head, curious, before entering the room, "Brother…?"

Papyrus looked up, "Nyeh…? Hello, er.. who are you?" he looked her over and tilted his head and she saw his view fall on the crack in her skull. "Frisk? Is that you?"

She nodded and Mettaton floated over to her.

"My, my, darling. That's quite a growth spurt!" he commented as he floated around her.

"Frisk, what happened? You're all grown up!" he got up and went to her, "And wearing my clothes…?"

She laughed uneasily, "Well, mine don't fit anymore… I… Chara did this."

"What?" he looked concerned, "How did she do this? Are you all right?"

She nodded and smiled sadly. "Chara… Gave me her soul power and…" she sighed and her face fell, "She's gone…"

"Good riddance!" huffed Mettaton, "From what Papy told me she was an evil little brat!"

"That's not true!" snapped Frisk making both of them flinch. "That's… not true at all. Listen-" She told them everything that had gone on between her and Chara while she had been asleep.

"Well… I stand corrected! The poor dear…" Mettaton sighed, "Well, if what your saying is true then she's not really gone, darling, you're both the same now, right?"

"He's right, little sister! Chara's finally at peace thanks to you. It's a good thing." Said Papyrus wrapping her in a hug which she returned tightly.

"Where is everyone, brother? What's going on?" she looked towards the window where the voices still sounded. "Where is everyone going?"

His face fell, "Monsters are returning to the underground… the ones who don't want to stay and… fight."

"Fight? Is there really going to be a war!?" she shuddered at the thought.

"We don't know yet, Frisk…" he sighed, "I don't want there to be. The humans are starting to attack us, they think we killed those humans that were murdered."

"But why would monsters attack humans…?" she went to the window and shifted the shade to see a long line of monsters being lead by former royal guards and undyne up the mountain. "Why would… this happen?"

"Because monsters could have done it," said Sans as he and Alphys stepped out of a portal making the three of them jump. "Sup?"

"Sans? Alphys? What do you mean?" asked Papyrus in a worried tone.

Sans had a grave expression as he replied, "I think some of us might have take those human's souls."

Papyrus opened his mouth to say something but Alphys spoke first in a cold tone, "I have Napstablook looking into it. If that's what's happened then there will most definitely be a war." She held a bundle close to her.

"Are you okay, Alphys?" asked Mettaton hovering closer to her. He looked at the bundle and his eyes widened, "Oh! Oh my, congratulations, Darling!" he beamed at her, "I didn't expect you to lay it so soon."

"What is that?" asked Frisk as she approached carefully, Something seemed off with Alphys, her tone was much more serious and she could have sworn she didn't stutter once!

"My egg, Frisk. My baby…" she hugged the bundle close to her, "And If there is going to be a war I'll do anything it takes to keep this egg safe."

"Alphys," Frisk was in awe, "Oh my goodness!"

"Say, sis, what's with the new duds? And… height?" Sans looked concerned, "Are you.. It that really you, Frisk?" he asked in a low tone.

"It's me, Sans." she smiled, "And Chara's finally at peace."

"What…? Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded, "I'll tell you about it later." she looked back at Alphys who was watching her suspiciously, "Is there anything you need for it?"

Alphys shook her head, "No, thank you, Frisk. But I'm fully capable of taking care of them." She carried the egg over to the couch and gently set it down between two throw pillows. "Now, While Napstablook listening for clues in the city I need a computer to do my won searching."

"Nyeh… about that…" Papyrus looked away, "I sort of… broke it."

"What?!" she snapped, "You have got to be kidding me, Papyrus…" she grunted in frustration. "Where is it? Let me see if I can fix your mess." her tone was almost hateful.

"Hey, hey." said Sans sternly, "Watch the tone Alph, we're all friends here. Nobody's gonna hurt your egg so cool it with the protective instincts."

"I'm… sorry, Papyrus." Said Alphys, "Show me where it is..."

Despite his hurt expression, Papyrus nodded and lead her to the computer room up the hall. Sans sighed and went over to the couch where he flopped down next to the egg.

Frisk made her way over and sat beside him, he was a lot shorter than her now, it was strange. "Sans, what's going to happen to us, to monsters?" 

He reached up and put his hand on her shoulder, "I really don't know, Frisk. Gaster left to work on something… he's one of the last remaining monsters that fought in the first war. Maybe whatever he went to do might help but the way things are looking there's going to be a lot of people killed and it isn't going to be monsters if those human souls are used…"

Frisk held her face in her hands. "We… have to do something, anything!"

"I don't know what we can do, Frisk. Humans won't trust us anymore most likely so there's no easy way we can help them."

Alphys and Papyrus returned to the room Papyrus had an uneasy expression on his face while Alphys' remained cold.

"The computer's fixed." said Alphys. "I'm staying here to work." it was a statement, not a question…

Sans eyed her for a moment with an odd expression then nodded, "Sure, Alphys. Feel free…"

Frisk nodded, "Alphys… Please don't worry, none of us will let anything happen to your egg. It will be okay!"

She nodded curtly, not looking at her, "Thank you, Frisk. Now, while I'm doing my work one of you should try to contact Doctor Gaster. He'll be a lot more helpful then you pe-… well, he'll be a lot of help to me."

"Hey!" Sans stood up, his face stern, "Look, Alph, I know you're scared but this is our house. I'm letting you do your thing but you'd better start remembering who you're with. We've supported you this far. Do you really distrust us that much?"

they glared at each other for a moment then Alphys' face fell, "I'm…Sorry Sans…" she hugged herself and sighed. "I'm just… I really don't know what's going to happen and I'm so scared."

Just then the front door opened and Undyne walked in, her cheeks red from the cols despite her insulated armor. "We're sending out guards to make sure anyone who wants to leave made it here." her ear fins drooped but then she stumbled back as Alphys rushed towards her and hugged her legs. "Wha-? Alphys, how did you- what's wrong?!"

"Undyne…" she sobbed, "Oh, Undyne! … It's… I'm so scared!"

"What happened? Did you get hurt?!" Undyne knelt down and hugged her before making sure her fiancé had no wounds. "Alphys… don't worry, I'll protect you no matter what. I love you."

"I love you too… but… I'm not scared for myself…" she looked towards the couch. "I… had it."

Undyne's eyes widened as she and Alphys slowly approached the couch where Sans stood aside to make room. Carefully with a webbed hand she shifted the blankets around the egg and looked at it in awe. she looked at Alphys with misty eyes and hugged her tightly, "Oh, sweetie… Shh… I'm here now. I'll help you keep our baby safe. It's going to be okay!" Both of them had tears running from their eyes. She looked around the room, "Thank you for bring her here, guys…"

"No problem." said Sans, "What are your plans? Alphys.. doesn't want to return underground."

Undyne looked at Alphys who shook her head. "Alphys… I understand. Don't worry, you have me, our friends, everyone will help out."

Suddenly the door burst open and Tonnis rushed in, "We've got a problem! The humans are coming!"


	32. Angels

Sans' marrow ran cold as everyone hurried out to see a large crowd of humans coming up from the city. This wasn't ever supposed to happen. There wasn't supposed to ever be anything to endanger this timeline! He looked over at Frisk who was clutching her hands to her chest with a look of fear and worry. From behind him he heard a scuffling and glanced to see Alphys hurry back in the house, probably to her egg, he thought.

There had to be something he could do, thinking quickly his eye blazed alight and blue magic surrounded him. Around him everything froze in place as time around him stood still. There, that way he could investigate without anyon-

"Great minds thing alike I suppose." Said Gaster calmly walking up behind him. "Do not be rash, Sans. I have a feeling all is not what it seems here."

Sans was momentarily surprised, having forgotten he wasn't the only one able to freeze time anymore, then nodded as he turned back towards the crowd.

"What do you think?" he asked Gaster, "Are they here to fight?"

"Come," replied Gaster with a wave to follow him. "Let's see for ourselves."

They approached the humans and Sans paused as he looked over them. These… weren’t warriors. They held bags and backpacks. Some had children in their arms or clothing their hands as they followed. "…Refugees?"

"It would seem so…" nodded Gaster as he examined some of them with a thoughtful look, hand on his chin. "Probably seeking shelter in the Underground if I gad to guess."

Sympathy fell over Sans as he looked over the humans sadly, "It's… they're just like us, aren't they? I mean, back when…"

"Yes, they are. Looking for safety from the danger that dwells upon the surface now."

"We should help them!" both Sans and Gaster flinched and turned to see Frisk standing there with a sad look.

"Frisk? Oh…" Sans figured it made sense time didn't effect someone like her. He nodded, "Yeah, don't worry. We'll help them, kiddo."

"But… will they be safe down there?" she asked, "The underground… there's only one way out. What if… what if the danger comes and they're trapped?"

"We will not allow that to happen, Frisk" Said Gaster reassuringly, "There are enough of us here to protect them long enough for… other arrangements to be made." he looked over at Sans who eyes him a second then nodded.

"We should welcome them." said Frisk, "They must be so scared!" her eyes fell on some of the children and Sans saw tears prick her sockets. "Poor people, they're just as scared as the monsters…"

"Then let us return to the house and let them come." said Gaster and they all started back up to the house. "Most of the monsters who wished to return underground have already gone. I shall go inform them of our new guests so they are not frightened at the sight of more humans." he looked at Frisk, "Your new body… Take time to get used to your new strength, all right? I do not want you to over exert yourself. You may need your power later…"

He stopped abruptly as Frisk hugged him before leaning down and returning the embrace. After a moment she backed away and nodded before turning to Sans and kneeling down to embrace him as well as Gaster faded into thin air.

"Sans… Chara and I… we can protect them with everyone's help." Sans' eye lit up for a moment at Chara's name but something told him she… might have been misjudged. Maybe?

"It's okay, kiddo." he replied as she stood up again, "We'll get through this."

They held hands and returned to the top of the hill before the blue haze over everything faded and time resumed.

"Wha? What was that about?" asked Undyne shaking her head. She turned towards the humans again and her hand glowed with blue magic but Sans held up his hand.

"They're not here to fight," he said looked over them.

"They're coming to stay in the underground!" said Frisk, "We have to help them."

"Huh? How… do you know…?" asked Tonnis. He looked around, "Er, where did Gaster go?"

Papyrus walked forward, "Then help we shall! No human should be left in Danger." he smiled, "It was smart to investigate. I would have done the same thing if I could have!"

Undyne, Tonnis and Mettaton all looked between the three skeletons then Undyne shrugged.

"Well, if you say so. C'mon guys, let's help them out!" she grinned and walked towards the crowd who stopped as she neared. Parents held their children close and fearful looks fell upon their faces as they saw her.

"Don't worry, humans!" Sans heard her say. "listen, My name is Undyne, head of the Royal Guard of the underground! You'll be safe here but I need you all to line up. We need to keep this calm and orderly, okay?"

Sans' grin widened as he listened to her talk to the humans but then fell… This wasn't a good sign if things were really getting bad enough to scare even the humans out of the city. 

Thoughts of the human souls stabbed his thoughts. If… if Monsters had them then… He looked back at the house where Alphys had gone and made his way back inside where he found her in front of the computer typing Rapidly and listening to- "Oh, hey there, Nabsta!"

The little white Ghost looked over, "Oh…. Hey, Sans… I'm just…. Helping Alphys…" he replied.

"Did you find anything out?" asked Sans.

Alphys nodded as she typed nonstop. "Evidently there's talk amongst monsters deep in the city about a group known as the Angels." she scoffed, "Probably a perverted reference to Frisk's prophecy. Anyway, Nabstablook told me they've been planning to 'empty the surface of all humans and let monsters live in peace.'"

Nabstablook nodded, "…I don't want humans to all get killed… Then no one would listen to our band anymore….." he looked over at Sans, "So…. what do you plan to do about the souls….?"

It was Alphys who answered, "Track them down and retrieve them." she looked up at Sans, "Right? If we find out who's behind this we can… stop them, right?"

There was something in her voice he couldn't quite pinpoint that made him concerned but he couldn't put his finger on it so he nodded, "Yeah, Alph. We'll get everyone we can to find out more about these Angels and get back those souls!"

She nodded, turning back to the computer where Sans looked to see her Egg safely bundled up in a box. He hoped they would be able to stop this… for that baby's sake and for the sake of them all…

Outside he could hear Undyne and the others ushering the humans towards the entrance to the Underground. It seemed so strange, this reversal of roles… He sighed and nodded, "Yeah.. things'll get better as soon as we can stop this.

"I'm going to…. see what else I can find out… Okay?" Nabstablook said looking between the two of them.

Alphys nodded, "Please do. Let me know anything you find out about where these Angels might be hiding."

With that Nabstablook floated through the wall, leaving Sans and Alphys alone. 

He sighed and started to speak but was cut off.

"Sans, maybe you should go help them." Said Alphys. "… I'll be fine. I'm trying to cross reference the phone and data networks across all of the underground and the surrounding surface…. We'll make things right again…"

He hesitated then nodded, "Good luck, Alphys." she nodded and he left the room. She was lying… That was no network tracker he saw on that screen, it was a schematic… The schematic of the Core. He looked at the door with a worrying look before leaving to go help with the humans outside.


	33. Grim suspicions

Gaster sat watching the crowd of humans slowly make their way into the capital. There has been a check point set up to reunite those coming from the surface with their kin who had chosen to come to the underground before hand. He watched as they hugged and wept. Some tears in joy, some in fear. Children clung to their parents and looked around in wonder. He saw several humans glance over at him and pause. He smiled, best to try to make them feel more at ease.

He sighed as he watched, looking for any sign of suspicious movements. After all, there was no guarantee that these humans were all innocent refugees. It would be a pain to have to extract an enemy from the crowd and risk causing panic so it was a relief to see so far no one had seemed out of place.

He looked over as a portal appeared near him and Sans stepped out. "How is everything going up there?" he asked.

Sans shrugged, "As good as can be expected. People are scared, some of them don't trust us but don't have any other choice." he looked over at the crowed, "We might have a problem. Alphys told me that Nabstablook found out about an organization of monsters called the Angels that might have taken the human souls."

"Interesting… and you fear one or two might try to make their way down here?"

He nodded," Yeah, there's that, but I'm also worried about Alphys… Hey, Gaster, how far away from Mt.Ebott does the core's systems run?"

An odd question, thought Gaster, "I'm… not sure. The core is very vast, it might run for miles. The underground in full has connections to it. Why do you ask?"

Sans was quiet for a moment then, "I'm not sure. It don't know why but something feels… wrong. I saw Alphys looking over the schematics. Why would she be doing that in the middle of all this?"

Gaster though a moment, "Perhaps to make sure the newcomers will be provided with adequate power supply?"

"I don't think so…" Sans bowed his head as he sat beside him. "Alphys seems… something's off about her and I can't put my finger on it. I know it's probably her need to protect her egg but…"

"Are you thinking she might do something dangerous?" he tilted his head, a little puzzled. "I've know Alphys for years. She's very… Well, What does her looking over the core have you worried about?"

He shrugged, "I just… I don't think she's all there. I just hope we can find the Angels before something bad happens."

"These angels have the souls of the humans who were murdered, correct?" Sans nodded, "Hmm…"

"You know anything?" Asked Sans, "That's a pretty odd look."

Gaster nodded, "Oh yes, I've know where the souls were for quite a while."

"WHAT?!" several humans flinched and looked over, "You…you've know and haven't said anything?!"

"It was not a good situation to do so. Fear not, the souls are not in danger of being used."

"How can you know that, Gaster?" demanded Sans, his eye glowing dimly, "Why didn't you say something?"

He looked over calmly, "What do you think Alphys would do? You are not the only one to concern yourself with small details." he looked down at Sans' hand he had grasped the table with where the small metal place was attached, "You forget, my son, I will always know where you are. I listened in on your conversation with her… I agree with you that she may be… Well, that her judgment may be clouded."

Sans relaxed but his expression was stern, "So… What do we do? We need to get those souls back…"

"I've told you, the souls are safe. The monsters that have them are not the murderers, they are guarding them."

"Gaster…" Sans looked at him with a hard expression, "Who are the Angels?"

"My assistants." he replied, "I do not know who killed those humans but I made sure those souls were captured before they could be consumed or procured by the guilty party."

"Alphys said the Angels wanted to destroy the humans! Is that what you're planning?"

"What…? There was never any plan to do that. I've been searching for any way to protect the humans from that… Who told you such a thing?" asked Gaster, why would such misinformation be spread about? Surely no one would suspect his assistances of such a thing… where did Sans…?

"Alphys told me that. Is it true?" demanded Sans.

"No… You said that Alphys told you this?"

"Why would she lie?" Asked Sans calming down but retaining a look of suspicion. "Look, I know she's having trouble but why lie about something like that?"

Gaster though a moment… No, Alphys wouldn't do that… Lie maybe but no about… that. It would be insane! He though of the egg and how drastically it had skewed her personality… She would never thing of such a thing… right?

"Gaster?"

"I.. I do believe Alphys is lying. More so I have an idea of why she was looking at the Core's schematic.."

"Why?"

He sighed, "I trust Alphys… but I believe you in that something may be very wrong with her thinking right now…"

"Gaster, answer me!" snapped Sans, "Why would she lie?!"

"Do you know what happens when a monster is hit with a massive amount of magical energy not meant to harm them?"

"What does that have to do with-"

"The answer is nothing, nothing at all. Now, what happens to a human hit with that same wave?"

"Where is this going?" Sans eye flickered. "No.. She wouldn't. Are you telling me you think she's-"

"Planning to detonate the core." He nodded, "But to do so she would need a vast amount of power, one that is contained in human souls. I believe she might be planning to retrieve them and use that power." he paused for a moment, "But she would never kill. The opportunity presented itself and I believe she's taking it."

"But she would never…" Sand started to say but his voice trailed off.

"It would go well to keep an eye on her should there be another chance to obtain souls. I do not want to believe it either, Sans… But the possibility is very great. I don't want you to tell the others, understand? Alphys much be kept unaware of my actions."

Sans clutched his fists but nodded, "I get it… Gaster?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think she'll do if she can't find the souls? Shouldn't we try to talk to her?" Sighed Sans.

"I think it is best to leave her be for now. If the time comes to intervene we shall need to be prepared."

They both sat in silence as Gaster returned to watching the humans, his mind deep in thought.


	34. Destructive relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's not chilling, Alph...

"What did you just say…?" Alphys looked at the little ghost in disbelief. "Gaster's assistants are the ones who took the souls?"

"Yeah…." Said Napstablook looking around as if trying to avoid her gaze. "I heard Sans and Gaster talking… Hey, Alphys…? You don't really…. want to blow up the core, do you?"

Alphys was silent as she turned back to the computer. "Thank you for telling me, Nabstablook." she said curtly. "Now, I have to get back to work, leave me alone."

Taken aback by her rude manner, Nabstablook floated away a few inches. "Well…. Okay, Alphys…. But…. Please don't…. I don't want the humans to die…." he floated over to the door, "Well…. Bye…." with that he passed through leaving the little lizard to her schematics.

They don't understand… The humans were violent, barbaric. She shuddered as she remembered them pulling her off of her scooter and beating her. Were it not for her lightning magic surely they would have… She shook her head and her eyes traveled over to her egg, wrapped snugly and placed in a box on the desk. Humans would smash her baby given the chance.

Did the other really think this idealistic ignorance of theirs would do any good? From the moment they set foot on this damned surface the humans had done nothing but hurt them, despise them. Put up signs forbidding them from coming near places… casting dark looks at them in the streets. Even the human teachers who taught at the queen's school would look at her like garbage… The news when she dropped off her reports for the weather, they took it and closed their doors. Even when they let her do the reports there were glares behind the cameras.

Humans were nothing but evil… And to protect Undyne, their baby, even her foolish friends she would do anything. Even if it meant eradication of every irrational, ignorant, violence prone being that dared call themselves human…

She sighed and sipped her soda as she looked over the different pathways of power control that ran through the core. All she would need is the power of those souls and she could set things in motion. Of course monsters being made of magic wouldn't be too effected by the blast. Only the humans who weren't as magical would suffer and die. Then, all that would be left is her kind. A peaceful world where her baby could grow up without fear.

So Gaster had all the souls hidden… Well, if his assistants were the ones keeping them then they should be easy to find. After all, they were creatures touched by void magic. She opened her tracker in another window and typed in parameters for unique energy signatures in the city and surrounding areas. The scanner pinged without any results… damn. Increasing the power she tried again, then again. Finally with a frustrated grunt she set it to max and the computer hummed at the effort. Finally a blip of unique energy appeared on the screen. There they were… She looked out the window to see night was falling. Good, when everyone was asleep she would make her move.

There was a knock on the door that made her jump. She looked up, "Who is it?"

Undyne peeked in and then entered with a smile, "Hey there." she approached and wrapped her arms around her, "What're you doing in here all alone, hun? Looking for those souls still?" she rested her chin on Alphys' head and snuggled her. "C'mon, let's go watch some anime and take a break from all this bullshit, sound good?"

Alphys sighed, it would be so nice just to forget… to forget the impending doom, the threat to them all… What she must do to save everyone from their own blind trust in these true monsters…

"Sure, Undyne… That sounds nice." she said half heartedly.

"Hm? What is it, Alphys? You don't seem very excited. C'mon, I've got the new Mew Mew Kissy Cutie movie! You've been wanting to see that for ages!" she leaned to look Alphys in the face, "What's bothering you? Is it the humans? Don't worry! Me, Papyrus, everyone is making sure things go smoothly. Most of them are already undergrou-"

"It's not that…" interrupted Alphys, her hands shaking and tears pricking her eyes. She turned around to face her, "Oh Undyne, I just can't stand this!" she sniffled and looked over at the egg. "How can we sit and pretend this threat isn't real when our baby could be easily killed! The humans, they're the real monsters! They almost killed me! They- they weren't even animals, they just hurt me and laughed!" she clung to Undyne as she was wrapped in a gentle hug. "We-we c-can't let them hurt our egg! I w-won't let them!" she turned back to computer, "I… I have a plan. Please, don't hate me for this… It's a difficult enough decision on it's own…"

Undyne put a hand on her shoulder and said concerned, "What are you talking about, Alphys…? What plan?"

"… I know where the human souls are…" she waved her hand towards the monitor, "I'm… going to retrieve them."

"That's awesome! the guys'll be so stoked, good job Alp-"

"I'm going to use them." said Alphys quietly, her face flat. "I'm going to use them to make sure our egg, our friends, they're all safe."

"Huh? But Alphys, we are safe! This whole thing will blow over if we just figure out a way to-"

"No, Undyne!" she said sternly making her flinch, "No… Humans have never held us equal. They've never truly accepted us… Humans are dangerous, they're violent and irrational and a threat that must be dealt with…" She removed her glasses and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm going to make sure they are…"

"Alphys…? Hun, you're scaring me. C'mon, let's go out to the living room, everyone's there. We can talk about this…"

"I'm going to detonate the core."

"What!? A-are you joking? That's not funny, Alphys!"

Alphys shook her head. "Monsters won't be killed in the blast… It's not like when Gaster was pushed in by Sans… This way, only the humans will be kil-"

"Stop it, Alphys!" snapped Undyne, "Stop it now, you can't really think that's right!" She stepped away with a look of horror, "You… you can't be for real… Alphys, no!" She looked towards their egg and reached out to take it but gasped as a blood red glow flared in Alphys' eyes and her pupils shrunk into slits before she lunged and sunk her teeth and claws into her arm.

"Let go!" Hissed Undyne.

No! No, if she wouldn't understand then she too was a threat! Nothing would happen to her baby!

'heh… that's right. She's not going to let you save them… how could she love you, Alphys? She waaaants them to smash it. She's dangerous.' 

The voice in Alphys mind drifted through her. The voice that gave her the idea, the guidance… it was right! She hissed at Undyne "GET OUT!"

"I don't know what's happened to you but you're out of your freakin' mind!" Undyne looked at Alphys with sorrow and disbelief. "You need help. I'm going to tell the others."

"Do it." replied Alphys venomously. "No one will stop me, Undyne. I thought you would understand… That you loved me enough to trust me… I guess that was too much to ask, huh?" the red gleam in her eye faded and she sat back down at the computer, wiping the blood from her hands and mouth. "Get out, Undyne."

"Alphys, give me our egg." demanded Undyne.

"Never."

A flash of green froze Alphys in place as Undyne used her magic but no sooner had she moved to grab the egg was their a flash of static and a yellow light. Alphys sent her flying against the wall with electricity. With a shocked hurt look Undyne quickly left leaving Alphys to her work.

'You know she's going to try to stop you, don't you?' the voice chuckled, 'but you won't let her will you? Did you see? She tried to take your egg from you! How dare she!'

"No one will stop me." she grunted under her breath.

'That's right' said the soul she had taken when she had electrocuted one of her attackers.

It had been an accident… she had taken the soul after the other humans had fled. He promised to help her… to protect her… slowly he became one with her… strangely, without her absorbing him… She would use him, allow him to guide her and save everyone… She would save everyone! Though she wondered just how he had come to be part of her she didn't care. This was something that had to be done for everyone's sake…. for her baby's sake.

"I will save them… even if they don't believe they need it..."


	35. Gumball's Plan

"What happened to your arm, Undyne?!" Mettaton floated out of Papyrus' arms who was sleeping and over to her. "That's a ghastly wound! I heard a loud noise. Did you two have a fight?"

"Get away from me!" hissed Undyne, "The last person I want to deal with is you." she went to the kitchen where she ran her arm under water and hissed.

"Darling, I'm only worried about you… Look, a lot of things are going wrong here and I can't help! At least let me know what happened." Replied Mettaton softly. "That looks like a bite! Did Alphys bite you?"

"I said get away from me!" snapped Undyne.

He flinched, hurt that she still acted so hateful towards him though… he did understand why. "Look, Undyne darling, I know you and I have our differences but-"

"But what, Mettaton?" She snapped. "My fiancé's in there acting crazy, I've got to go check on Papyrus while he helps the stragglers and I don't need a vain little attention whore pretending like he cares right now!"

"But I do care!"

"Right… that's why ever since you got back you've been bitching and whining about your body and haven't taken two seconds to think about anyone but you and your damn boyfriend!"

"Undyne, please… Tell me what happened. I want to help and I just… I don't know what I can do." he said sadly. It was true, he had only been thinking of himself… But after seeing these poor humans and their plight and talking to Papyrus he set aside his pride and only wanted to do something about this mess!

Undyne just scoffed and continued to tend to her wound. After a moment he heard her mutter something. "What did you say, darling?"

"I said… I think Alphys is in trouble… She's not acting right." she replied holding a paper towel around her arm. "Something's really messed her up and I don't think it's only because of our egg."

He floated to the side to get a better view of her face and saw her expression, sorrow. "Oh, Undyne… Darling, is there anything I can do? Would you like me to talk to her?" if he had a body that could hit heart would ach for her. She… well She had put up with him. He wanted to help her, to do something for someone other than himself for once.

She looked over at him sadly. "I think… she would hurt you. Please, don't bother her now. I… I have to think about this for a bit." her fins perked up as she looked around, "Where's Papyrus?"

"He's out in the yard with Frisk and Tonnis." he replied. "She said they needed to talk to him about something. Though I don't know what. The poor darling's been through a lot, I hope she's okay…"

"Yeah, me too. I'm gonna go see what's up." Said Undyne, "You coming too?"

He hesitated then shook his head, "No, no. You go ahead, I'll just wait here for a bit."

"You're not going to see Alphys, Mettaton. I told you she might hurt you!"

That did bother him… but, Alphys was his friend. If there was anything he could to do make up for… how he had treated her in the past then by all means he was going to do it!  
"I'm not going to… Undyne. But I don't feel very well. Mind if I just stay inside?"

Undyne scoffed but shrugged. "Mettaton…" she sighed but then looked at him venomously, "It's your funeral. I warned you. I've got to go see Papyrus." with that she stomped outside.

Once she was gone he immediately headed for the room Alphys was in. As he tried to phase through the wall to his surprise a painful jolt of electrical magic sent him flying out of the wall and back into the living room. His spectral body burned all over. Despite being a ghost, magic could still hurt him. He shook his head to clear the fuzz from his mind and stared forlornly at the door his dear friend has sealed herself behind.

"Are you okay…. Mettaton…?" A small voice from the entrance to the hallway made him turn to see his cousin floating there looking his way with concern. "Are you…. hurt?"

"Blooky, what are you doing here?" he floated over and looked at the look of guilt that fell over Nabstablook's eyes. "What is it, darling?" he wrapped his arms around his cousin who hung limp, "You can tell me."

Nabstablook was silent for a moment then returned the embrace. "Mettaton, I think…. I might have done something…. something really bad…" his small form shivered as trear fell from his eyes. "I helped Alphys…. I told her where those…. those human's souls went and…"

"You found the human souls?! Blooky that's wonder-" he began to praise but was cut off.

"She wants to blow up the core….. with those souls… she wants to… to kill all of them… all of the hu… humans" he sobbed and leaned into Mettaton. "S-something's wrong…. Mettaton."

"Alphys…? Blooky, why would she- the egg? That's a bit too extreme! She really needs a friend right now." he looked back at the room where he knew he wouldn't be able to enter and his mind raced. The poor thing must be so overcome with her mothering instincts that she's getting caught up in a tangent! He had to find a way in there! Or… find someone who could. His mind immediately went to Sans. Sans, the little skeleton with powers he had never seen before. Surely he could get in and help Alphys calm down!

"Blooky, don't you worry! I'm going to go find someone who can help Alphys!" he smiled and floated away, turning back he smiled, "It's going to be okay, Blooky. I'll help bring her to her senses and then we can all help end this nasty disagreement with the humans some other way."

"I hope you're right, Mettaton… I don't want to see them die…"


	36. Disbelief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing scarier than a pissed off Paps.

Papyrus looked up from Frisk to see Mettaton floating up the path to the Underground. He wondered for a moment whether or not to go check on him, he looked so glum! No, Frisk needed him more. They had been talking over plans on what to do about the humans. There had to be something else that was making things this way. Humans are nice creatures, of that he was sure! Hmm… There was no doubt they would find the solution and everything would be fine again. 

"I still don't understand how this all started." Said Tonnis. "But…" he grasped his pendant, "I have a bad feeling about this all."

Frisk turned to him, "You said your pendant began pulsing before everyone showed up, right? What could that mean, someone from your village is here?" Tonnis nodded.

"Well! That would be a really good opportunity to show them how nice monsters are!" Said Papyrus cheerfully. Indeed! If those humans had come to hide too then they must really trust them. They would be kept safe and warm, no worries. He smiled, If little Tonnis had his friends show up… well his not quite friends but fellows show up and become more accepting then he would probably be very ecstatic! "I hope they decide to come here, it would be wonderful to meet them and change their minds."

"Papyrus…" Tonnis sighed, "I really, really love how positive you are about all this but if they do show up then it won't be wonderful. They would probably try to kill you."

"That's alright." he replied, "They just won't understand yet. The Great Papyrus shall teach them how kind and friendly monsters are!" Everyone could be friends if they tried, it wouldn't be hard at all!

"Brother, what if he's right and they do try to hurt us?" Asked Frisk looking worried.

"Then I'll protect you, Frisk. You know you're always safe with me."

He looked at their solemn faces and felt a twinge of worry. There wasn't anything to be scared of. This would sort itself out in due time… He looked up to see Undyne approaching, her arm wrapped in cloth.

"Undyne? What's wrong with your arm?" Was she hurt? He stepped forward as she approached with a hurt expression. "What's wrong?"

"We've got a bad problem with Alphys." she said through grit teeth. "She's lost her mind! She's planning on using the human souls from those people that were murdered to blow up the core."

"What?" How preposterous! Alphys was so kind and caring! "But that's impossible, Undyne, Alphys would never think of it…. Did you two have a fight?"

"Papyrus!" her voice made his bones shiver, he never heard her sound this way, "You know I wouldn't like to you… Look, she bit me!" she grasped the bandaged limb, "We've got to stop her but she's sealed herself up in the computer room. I'm scared… I've never seen her act like that."

"Nyeh… I'll go talk to her!" he declared.

"No Papyrus, that's not a good idea." Replied Undyne, distraught.

"I don't know Alphys very well… but what happened when she bit you?" Asked Tonnis, stepping closer, "C-could you tell me what all happened, Undyne?" he asked cautiously.

"Huh?" she looked him over, confused. "Well, It was weird… her eyes kinda… Well I swear I saw them turn red before she attacked me." her expression hardened and she looked over at Frisk, "Hey, didn't Chara do that to you?! Could she-"

"Chara's gone, Undyne." Frisk cut her off, "She fused with me. Whatever's wrong with Alphys has nothing to do with her."

"Chara…?" Tonnis shook his head as if to focus again and looked to each of them, "I've been thinking over something…. It's weird how no one else has come looking for me after Gaster killed the scouting party. I…. I think they might have had something to do with those humans being killed. Y'know, trying to start something? If that's true it looks like their plan worked… But, that's not the worst of it. You see, if those soul happened to be… well… It might be that those were people from my village or one of their allies. There might not have been a murder at all."

"What?" A chill ran down Papyrus' spine. No, that couldn't be true! Such things were… Why would someone take their own life for something so silly? "Why would they do that?"

Tonnis looked up at him sadly then looked over at Undyne. "My people train themselves in magic since birth… Some even try to obtain knowledge of magic that can be used after death while our souls are still sustained. If they killed themselves it might be that they were hoping monsters would be drawn to the souls so that they could… They could possess them."

"You think Alphys is Posessed?" asked Undyne. Well, what do we do?! I want my fiancé back."

"There has to be someway to convince them to leave peacefully!" insisted Papyrus. I'm going to go talk to them." he looked at Tonnis, "those people are… really strange if they think that's a good reason to… I'll help them!"

"Papyrus no!" called Tonnis but he was already marching back to the house.

Once inside he sighed. Something has possessed Alphys? He… wasn't sure how to go about this. How was he supposed to know who he was talking to? Undyne had said her eyes went red, so he assumes it meant the human was present when it happened. He had to go about this cautiously but kindly. After all, he was the Great Papyrus! Making friends would be easy… right?

He made his way to the door and winced as he felt the electricity on the other side from Alphys barrier. Collecting himself, he knocked.

"Leave me alone!" came Alphys' hiss.

"Alphys? It's papyrus. May I come in?"

"No! Stay away from me!"

He frowned. "Alphys… Can I… Talk to your friend?"

"How do you…? Grr, no! Go away! You want to take them from me! I know it, Undyne thinks I'm crazy but he's right! This has to happen for us to finally be free!"

"Alphys, no. No, it doesn't. Please, let me come in, I'm very worried about you. You can trust me, we're friends!" he pleaded hoping she would be sensible enough to oblige.

There was silence for a moment then, "Come in." The electricity on the door subsided.

Papyrus cautiously entered to find Alphys glaring suspiciously at him. He smiled and said softly, "You don't have to be afraid of me. I just want to talk to them… Why do they want you to…" he trailed off, still unable to believe his little friend really wanted to kill all the humans.

"They will never let us live in peace, Papyrus…" Said Alphys in a low and hollow tone, "The only way my baby can live in a world without danger is for them all to die. It's for the good of all monsters!"

"You can't really feel that way! Alphys, you're a good person, you know killing is wrong."

"Sometimes we have to be the bad guy to be the good guy, Papyrus… This human soul… I killed them and I can kill more."

"You what?! You… You killed them?" his heart sank. Surely she was mistaken? It had to have been an accident! "… why do they want to kill all of their own kind?"

Alphys hesitated then after a moment she closed her eyes as if meditating. Suddenly they snapped open and were glowing red. She spoke in a lower and almost masculine voice that made papyrus flinch as he understood this wasn't his friend speaking.

"Monster, you dislike conflict, yes?" They asked using Alphys to leer at them. "You don't want anymore bloodshed or dust scattered, do you?"

"Well no but-"

"If the humans were gone then there would be no more. Think about it, you and your kind would be at peace. The war would not happen and this mother's child would not have to fear being destroyed by my kind." he sighed, "I don't blame this woman for killing me. I attacked her and she defended herself… I've come to realize how cruel we are and only seek to help your kind."

"But this isn't a the way!" cried Papyrus, "Killing someone is never justified! There's good in everyone, I know it… Please, human, let's try making peace."

They laughed, "You're a kind soul. Such a monster cannot fathom the evil my kind can and will commit against Monsters given half a chance. Please be reasonable and try to understand. I only want to see peace and this way will guarantee it."

Papyrus shook his head, "I can't allow it, human… Please, let Alphys go. We can talk about this and-"

"You fool!" he snapped, "You can't stop this! No one will stop this! … This is your only chance to accept this gift. You will not get another. Don't make me show you just how evil humanity can be."

"Are you…. threatening me?" papyrus was chilled to the bone with worry and… fear. "I-I won't! If you won't let her go then I'll have to get someone who can force you to! Please, it doesn't have to be this way!"

The human smirked with Alphys mouth then sighed, "So, that's your choice? Well… Perhaps this will convince you!"

Before Papyrus could stop him they grabbed the egg and held it above their head. 

"NO! DON'T" Cried Papyrus as he leapt to take the egg. Before he could lay hands on it the human slammed it to the floor, smashing it open as the inner juices spattered out mixed with glowing soul matter. He stared in horror as the glow faded and a white powder became tainted with white.

"H-how could y-you?!" shouted Papyrus, "HOW COULD YOU, HUMAN!?" his eye blazed yellow as he felt a rage brew in his soul. This feeling, this was something he'd never experienced. He longed to rip the soul out of her and destroy it! "You murderer!"

The human cackled, "And now, you understand…" suddenly Alphys slumped forward and her eyes drooped close.

Alphys opened her eyes and looked up at him, "What are you gawking at- NO!!" she wailed in despair as she saw her smashed egg and fell to her knees from the chair. She rushed forward and scooped up the runny mess, cradling it in her arms she looked up at him with a mix of rage and sorrow.

"THIS IS WHAT THEY DO TO US!!!" she wailed, "YOU THINK THEY DESERVE MERCY FOR THIS?! MY BABY!!!" she clutched the ruined shell tightly and rocked back in forth, sobbing. "M-my b-baby…"

Papyrus felt his magic surge through him, his anger growing. "No." he growled.

"No?" Alphys looked back up at him and fear filled her eyes, "P-papyrus?"

"No, Alphys." he said through gritted teeth, "They do not…"


	37. And so it begins.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiz goin' down, brah.

As Sans and Gaster listened to Mettaton tell them of Alphys behavior a chill ran through Sans' marrow.

"Mettaton, don't tell anyone else about this okay? No one else knows, right?" he asked the shivering, pink ghost.

"Well…" sighed Mettaton. "I only found out this was happening after I asked Undyne about the wound on her arm." He shuddered, "A nasty bite wound. Mind you I know they like to play around that way but this was no love nip!"

"Alphys hurt Undyne?" Sans looked at Gaster, "What do you think? That doesn't seem right. Alphys wouldn't do that…"

Gaster looked thoughtful for a moment, "Mettaton, has anyone else, any other souls been present around her that you might have passed off as a random chance encounter?"

"Not really, darling, but there's been an… eerie feeling about the place." he looked as if he wanted to say more but suddenly a wave of anger seemed to ripple through the entire underground as people gasped and cried our in fear.

"W-what the hell was that!?" Undyne's voice came up behind them as Gaster turned around in time to catch her from falling. "Hey! Something's really wrong with Alphys! We gotta do something!" she pleaded, recovering from the shock.

"We've got other problems…" Sans stared intently up towards the surface, a look of concern and fear on his face.

Gaster sensed the origin of the wave as well. He'd never know such killer intent from another monster and to think it was coming from-

"WHERE ARE THEY, GASTER?!" 

Gaster had no time to dodge as Papyrus lunged at him from mid teleportation and pinned him down.

"Bro?! Pap, what is it, what are you doing?!" Sans rushed over and tried to push his brother and father apart but cried out in surprise as his soul turned blue and he was thrown backwards onto a soft pile of garbage.

"Back off, Sans…" Papyrus growled in a completely unrecognizable tone. 

This couldn't be him… what could have happened to his little brother to anger him so? Sans got up and teleported back over, avoiding having his soul thrown again and instead using his own blue magic to force Papyrus off of Gaster. "Tell me what's gotten into you! This isn't like you at all!" he pleaded as he struggled to retain control over his brother's soul.

Mettaton looked unsure as to whether or not to intervene, "Sugar Skull, what's wrong?!

"They killed them!" hissed the younger skeleton as he thrashed against the magic. "The human in Alphys! They smashed her baby!!" He glared at Gaster who had gotten up and was backing away warily.

"WHAT?!" Undyne cried, "M-my baby?! Papyrus, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY!?"

"They… dead, Undyne." Papyrus' voice shook with anger. "They killed them. The human soul possessing Alphys.

"Oh my god…" gasped Mettaton looking up at the surface, "I-I've got to go to her!" he zoomed away before anyone could stop him.

"So, what's what happened to her…" Gaster brushed himself off and held his face in his hands. "I should have sensed it."

"I don't care how or who or WHY!" Papyrus tried once more to break away from Sans' magic, "All I care about is KILLING EVERY GOD DAMN HUMAN!!"

His threat caused fear to ripple through the remaining humans that had yet to check through to the underground and they stared at him wide eyed.

Papyrus glare shifted to the humans and his eyes flared with magic. The blue on his soul began to crack back into yellow as his blaster materialized behind him. "Murderers…"

"Bro, calm down!" Sans cried as Gaster lunched at Papyrus, pinning him down with summoned hands.

"Papyrus, you are not thinking clearly! Calm yourself and let us help you!" Gaster looked at his son with fear and sadness. "This is not you, my son. Let us help you."

"If you want to h-help me…? Let me go." he glared at Gaster and in a murderous growl, "Give me the souls and let me give them to Alphys. I'm not going to let another innocent die in front of me!"

"I cannot give you the souls. Alphys is dangerous right now and you must not listen to her." Gaster struggled to hold Papyrus down, to his surprise the skeleton was much stronger than he had ever thought possible of him.

"Fuck that! Papyrus, did you just say my baby is dead?!" Undyne screeched in sorrow as she sunk to her knees. "Gaster, give him those souls! I'll kill every one of these fucking humans! I'm sick of this!"

The humans had now begun to flee to wherever they could find to hide. Many cried in fear.

"Undyne, calm down!" Sans rushed to her side, "Calm down. Your baby's fine."

"What…?" both She and Papyrus looked over at him.

"I… I have it." Said Sans with a guilty look. "I made a copy. I had a feeling something was wrong with Alphys back at your apartment so I.. I made a double."

"Not dead…?" Papyrus' eyes dimmed but he still struggled against Gaster's magic.

"Sans, where it my baby?" demanded Undyne.

Sans looked down and carefully opened his coat which had been zipped and revealed the real egg, surrounded by a protective blue barrier in his middle. He took it out gently and held it out to her.

"My baby…" she breathed as she took the egg and held it close.

"But… I thought…" Papyrus sounded pitiful as he finally relaxed and Gaster cautiously released him. "I… I was so… angry, Sans…"

"It's okay, Papyrus…" Sans walked over and knelt down beside his brother. "You've never felt that way before, You… You were just upset, okay? It's no problem."

"But I frightened the humans…" he looked over to where the darkened shapes of the hiding humans were pressed into any shadow they could find. "I… But, Alphys… I want to help her."

"Pap, no. We can't let her-"

"No," he shook his head, "No, I mean help get the soul out of her." He sat up shakily and looked up at Gaster, "Can we?"

Gaster nodded, "It will be difficult but it can be done… And as long as she does not know where the souls are everything should remain-"

"She knows, Gaster." Said Undyne quietly. "She told me so." her frills drooped as she looked at the ground, "It's over…

"Alphys… left…" A quiet voice spoke from behind Undyne as they turned and saw Napstablook floating dejectedly. "…She left…"

"Left?" Gaster echoed, "For where?"

"She… knows you're coming for her…" he pointed towards a rock where a small bit of metal glinted, a camera! "She… knows… I'm sorry…" he faded away with a scared expression as the others exchanged horrified looks.

"I'll have my blasters guard the core." said Gaster gravely.

"We have to stop her before she gets to them!" exclaimed Sans, "Gaster, where did you hide them? The void?"

He shook his head, "Taking Frisk to the void was easy since she was recently dead… They're in the city. You should hurry.

"I'm coming, Alphys!!" cried Undyne hurrying back towards the surface at full speed, egg tightly in her arms.

The three skeletons nodded as Sans opened a portal to the surface.

There was still time to fix this… but was it enough?


	38. This is the way the world ends...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not with a whimper but a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of Second War of the Surface!   
> I hope you've enjoyed part two of this series! Don't worry, I've already got a few chapters of part three done. Part three is called Remnants so keep an eyesocket out for it!
> 
> You can also find this series along with my other works at clockworkwasteland.deviantart.com

There was nothing… Frisk looked around and saw nothing but a barren wasteland.  
"Where… am I?" her meek voice echoed over the ruins.

"This is the way our world ends…" Chara materialized beside her with a solemn look. "This is what happens when we get what we want sometimes…"

"Chara! I thought you were…"

"We're one, Frisk. I'll always be with you." she half smiled, "But now is not the time for a happy reunion. Look, look at this and prepare yourself. When this happens… I want you to know there was nothing anyone could do…"

"What?! This?" she looked over the wasteland, here and there lay the chared and twisted corpses of beings… monsters? No, they were bones, monsters turned to dust when they died… "Chara, what is this? What happened or what's going to happen or- am I asleep!?"

"You tried, Frisk. You tried to stop Alphys, remember?"

"Alphys? No, I was talking to Tonnis and we were going to follow Papyrus! What-?"

"You never made it." Chara replied sadly. "Papyrus… his anger was so powerful he awakened his hidden power and sent a ripple through time. Everyone was knocked out… Alphys is on her way to the souls of those murdered humans. She's going to use them to blow up the core."

"And this is… Wait! How do you know she'll suceed?!"

"Gaster brought me to the void with you… I guess part of me 'broke off' in there. I couldn't make sense of what was happening before but I.. I can see possibilities. I think it's almost like How Sans can remember timelines and such. This is our future, Frisk…"

"You said possibilities. That means this is only a possibility!"

Chara shook her head, her red eyes misted with tears, "There's nothing else… I can't see anything other then this. It's not a possibility it's a certainty." she sighed and sat down on a crumbled cinder block and hugged her knees. "Go find Asriel, okay? Find mom and dad and tell them what's coming… Warn everyone you can. There's no hope of stopping this, Frisk… But if they know then they can prepare."

"… prepare to die?" Frisk asked, tears streaming down her face as she looked again at the twisted, horrible looking bones.

"No. Prepare to lead. Lead the ones that remain. When this happens there will be no humans left. Only monsters."

"They'll all die?!"

"No. No, they won't die they'll just… disappear."

"What do you mean…?"

She sighed, "It's time to wake up, Frisk. Go to them."

"Wait! Chara!!!" Frisk tried to maintain the dream but she felt herself awakening.

"Tell them I love them, okay?" Chara's voice echoed in her mind as the terrible vision of her dream faded to darkness before she opened her eyes to find herself laying in the cold snow.

She sat up and saw Tonnis a few feet away. They had just made it to the door…

"Tonnis!" she crawled over to him and relief filled her as he groaned and opened his eyes.

"…Frisk? What happened?" he asked groggily

"Come on, we have to go find Mo- Asgore and Toriel!"

"The Queen?" he asked, still sounding stunned as he got up. "And… King, right?"

"Yes, we're going to find them, right now!" she grabbed his hand.

"Gah! Frisk, wait, ow!" Tonnis fell back to the ground and held his side. "Sorry… just a bruise." he got back up again and shook his head. "Where could they be?"

She thought a moment, well… They could be at the school. Toriel would want to protect the children who couldn't flee. "Let's try the school!"

"We've gotta get there fast, huh..?"

"As fast as we can!"

"Right!" he nodded and his eyes faded to black. "Here, carry me. My magic will boost your speed. Unless you can teleport?"

She shook her head and carefully picked up his skinny frame in her arms. His magic flowed through her as black, vein-like markings crisscrossed her bones. This would get them there!

"Thanks, Tonnis. Hold on!" She felt him cling to her as she sped off at breakneck speed.

It wasn't long before they reached the city and Frisk stopped suddenly, tightening her grip on Tonnis to keep from tossing him and making him gasp. The city was in panic! Monsters and humans were at odds with each other and dust littered the streets and almost clouded the air. She looked at the scene in horror as mobs of humans roamed around, looking for more victims.

"H-how are we going to get in there?" squeaked Tonnis. "They'll kill us!"

"I know…" Frisk struggled to come up with a plan. Her Mom was in there! "Maybe we'll be fast enough to reach the school before they even see us? … Or at least fast enough to not be caught…"

"We can try… We have to!"

She nodded as they joined their magic and black swirls of it surrounded them reflecting the light of her glowing eyes. She steadied herself then took off as fast as she could. Sprinting faster than a cheetah she managed to dodge barricades and roadblocks and leap over the wall surrounding the school before skidding to a stop, leaving a dust trail.

The yard was barren save for a few monsters outfitted in armor. Good thinking, Undyne! Sending the royal guard. She looked towards the school and saw that the windows has had magical bars summoned on the windows. It seemed like it was locked down pretty well though surprisingly no humans were at the gate. It took her a moment to see the faint sheen of a barrier surrounding the yard. It had to be her Mom's!

"F-frisk!?" A small voice cried from the ground. It was Asriel!

"As!" Frisk set Tonnis down gently and cupped her hands around the flowers head. "Is Mom okay? King Asgore?"

"T-they're alright!" sniffled Asriel as he nuzzled her hand, "They're inside with everyone we could save… and… fit…" he sighed, "Frisk, what are you doing here? What's even going on! The humans just started attacking everyone!"

"It's a mess…" Tonnis sighed, "But we'll fix it! Right Frisk?"

She looked back at him with a worried look which made his face fall. "I don't know what's going to happen Tonnis…"

+++++++++++++++++++

Alphys shook her head as the soul possessing her continued to linger in her mind like a parasite. They felt nothing for their crime, their murder of her unborn baby. She felt tainted and sick as she reached a hand into her pocket and grasped the device she had made to contain the essence of the human souls.

The major obstacle in her way would be Gaster's helpers. She pondered over how best to deal with them when the soul chuckled.

'They're monsters just like you. Certainly you can simply blast them out of your way?'

"It's not likely…" she replied hatefully. "They're not normal monsters. I don't know what I'm going to do but…" She sighed, "Couldn't you do anything?"

'Why yes, yes I could… If they suffer from the same weakness to 'Determination' as you call it. A souls will can be imposed over another's and I can do it with ease. As you should know~' he mocked.

"Whatever you do, just don't kill them… Please, don't kill anyone else." she pleaded.

'You do have my sympathy.' he replied, 'It was an unfortunate necessity to motivate Papyrus and awaken him to our cause. Now with him on our side the others will be kept at bay.'

"You murdered my baby…" Alphys felt tears in her eyes. "You could have found another way to convince him!"

'Oh please. You can always have another egg.'

"You're horrible!" she hissed as rage pulsed in her veins.

'So kill me.' he chuckled.

She stopped in front of a discrete door where she could feel the dull energy of the souls coming from beyond. This was where her readings has lead her and she swallowed nervously as she lifted a shaky claw to the latch.

"Just don't kill them…"  
++++++++++

Sans stood on a cliff overlooking the core. The massive structure loomed in the distance emitting a warm glow. Beside him stood Gaster who was holding a device he had picked up when they had stopped by the True Lab with a grave expression. 

They had

"It would seem Dr. Alphys has been planning this for a while. Perhaps even before she came to be in her current situation." he tapped a few buttons, "The energy distribution to the converters have been modified to retain more than enough thermal energy to power then underground. Normally I would see it as a backup but I believe the stored energy is intended for another use."

"Yeah…" nodded Sans, "More energy makes for a bigger boom…"

"Exactly." He looked over, "Do you think Papyrus will be alright?"

"Yeah. He can watch over Frisk and Tonnis and keep them safe. They're probably holed up inside the house trying to lighten the mood." Sans shifted in place as his nerves made panic threaten to overtake him. This was bad… Not even Frisk's Genocide Run had put him this on edge. Something told him this wouldn't end well. Sure, they could probably catch Alphys before she got to the core but… Maybe it was fate… Maybe they were never meant to have a happy existence? This was the only timeline they had made it this far… But what if they were never meant to? What if this was the way their timeline ends?

Gaster looked over at him, worried. "Sans, is there something on your mind?"

He shook his head both in response and to clear his mind, "Nothing… Let's get to work figuring this out. We've got an apocalypse to stop."

++++++++++

Undyne and Mettaton both made their way as fast as they could through the city streets, dodging conflict and crowded roads, looking desperately for Alphys. She had caught up with him and both knew they were in a race against time.

"What can we do, Undyne?" asked Mettaton, "I-if that soul's in control then how can we reason with her?"

"I don't know!" snapped Undyne, "But I will, I have to! Look, I've got the egg. She'll be able to boot that creep when she sees it, I know it!" She hissed, "Ngah! I should have asked Gaster where she was going, damn it!"

"We'll find her, just try to focus, maybe your soul can find her faster than our eyes!"

Undyne nodded and concentrated on her love for Alphys, her fear, her determination… Suddenly like a beacon her soul lit up in a quick flash as she felt the presence of her mate's soul. Alphys was on the other side of the city! "I found her! C'mon, Mettaton, let's hurry! We might not have much time left!"

++++++++++

Frisk and Tonnis sat in the cafeteria across from Asgore and Toriel who were looking at each other in concern.

"My children, are you sure of this?" She looked over to them, "Frisk… you say C-Chara told you this?"

Frisk nodded, she had explained to them what had transpired between her and Chara and explained her new, older appearance. "Yes, Mom…. I'm scared, I don't know what to do…"

Asgore stroked his beard, "It would seem very grave indeed…" he turned to his ex-wife, "Tori… If this does come to pass… Our people will need leaders. I… I don't wish to lead alone…"

Toriel studied him with a unreadable expression then nodded, "I will assist you, Asgore. But this does not rectify our relationship…" she sighed, tears in her eyes, "Frisk, you amazing child… You've done what you could. You've brought warning and… closure to us. If Chara can hear me then I hope she knows just how much we love her."

"Should we prepare ourselves for the worst?" asked Asgore looking back over at the other two, "I… Just can't even fathom such a thing happening… It is terrifying!"

"Everyone's trying to stop her, Your Majesty." Said Tonnis, "But I'm not sure how these things work. My peopl- the people of the village I was raised in practiced extending the duration of their souls after death… Possession isn't something I'm very familiar with but I don't know if Alphys will even be able to resist being controlled by them against her will." He sighed, "I just wish I knew how to help…"

"Do not worry, My child." Said Toriel softly, "Whatever the future brings we are together. We will get through this. For now you two are safe here."

Frisk looked out the window as lightning flashed heralding an oncoming storm.  
+++++++++++

Alphys lay in the floor, curled up in pain. Around her lay the melting bodies of Gaster's assistants slowly dissolving into dust. Her insides burned and she felt like she too might just dust at any moment.

'Do forgive me.' cooed the soul. 'In order to defeat them it was necessary to kill.'

"L-liar…" she coughed, "I told you not to kill them!"

'Relax, they're not dying it seems like they're just escaping... They're not monsters after all, right? They're… things.'

"They were monsters once…" she sighed as she slowly picked herself up and approached the table where four canisters sat, each has a small glowing heart inside, the souls… "At least we've got them… I just want to end this…" she listlessly pulled out the container she had brought and one by one extracted the souls into it. The device shook under the pressure of the Soul's determination but held together. She carefully tucked it away and made her way back out into the alley where she gasped as before her stood-

"Alphys!" Undyne skidded to a stop before dropping to her knees and throwing her arms around her. "Oh thank god! Alphys!" She held her tight before her grip slackened as Alphys pulled away. "…Alphys, please don't do this."

Alphys backed away and shook her head, "I-I have to… I have to, Undyne.

"Alphys… Your baby, your egg's alright!" Mettaton floated to Undyne's side, "Sans saved it!"

"What?!" Alphys gasped as Undyne pulled out the real egg from her police Jacket and with trembling hand she reached out to touch it. "My baby…"

"See?! There's nothing to worry about. Stop this and come home, Alph. We'll forget this whole thing and Gaster and Sans can get that bastard out of you."

Tears fell from Alphys eyes as she withdrew. "Oh Undyne… I… I'm so sorry!" She hid her face in her hands, "I…"

"Alphys… Shh, it's okay, sweetheart." Undyne put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."

Alphys looked up and smiled and started to nod when she suddenly fell to her knees with a pained gasp.

"Alphys!"

A cruel chuckle came from the small monster and her eyes faded to red as her face contorted into a menacing smile. The voice that came from her was distorted with that of the human's

"I'm so sick of catering to your weakness." he leered, "This isn't a democracy, Monster. This is fate! Now, move from my way before I force her to make you…"

"You bastard…" Growled Undyne as her magic flared in her eye. "How dare you!"

"So it seems my plan didn't work after all." he shrugged, "It matters not. Move, Monster…"

Mettaton loosed a magic attack meant to catch her but he made her dodge and sent out a blast of her magic combined with his. The force of his determination, his will sent them skidding back with a might force.

"Alphys, darling! Please, fight that dreadful creature!" pleaded Mettaton but it was to no avail.

Another blast of magic erupted from Alphys as a dark red seeped from her mouth and nose, blood!

Tears of Rage fell from Undyne's eye as she summoned her green magic and locked Alphys in place but only for a moment. Before she could do more the magic was canceled out and He slammed unto her in a head butt that caused her to fly into a wall and strike her head. Her vision swam as she struggled to keep consciousness. "You won't get away with this, Human!" She tried to get up but before she could Alphys foot collided with her chest knocking the wind out of her and causing her vision to fade. She felt herself slipping into the dark as she looked over to see Mettaton's pink form unconscious on the ground next to the egg. "No…" she reached for the egg but a foot slammed down on her hand making her cry out in pain.

"I already have…" he chuckled before looking over at the egg. "Hmph, I don't need to crush that putrid egg… I'm sure the blast will do the job for me. Now, sleep, Monster… This is just a bad dream."

A blow struck Undyne before she fell into the darkness.  
++++++++++

Thunder echoed overhead as Papyrus sat un the living room with the lights off. His soul ached as Tears slid down his face. What was happening? This… this couldn't be real. His friend were all in danger and he was.. He had to do something, right? Sans and Gaster were guarding the Core and Undyne and Mettaton had gone off to stop Alphys but what could he do? He was still weakened from his outburst before. The remnants of his unwarranted hatred ate at his mind and body as his magic conflicted with him.

It had to have been the human's plan to put him out of commission. Such feelings were so foreign to him, the will to kill… It had poisoned him and now he could barely keep his head up.

No… He had to act. He had to help! He had to- wait a second, where was Frisk and Tonnis? He looked up and looked around. In his haze he hadn't thought of them. Surely they would have been here too?"

No, they were nowhere to be found! Dread clutched him as he got up shakily and made his way to Frisk's room. Surely she would be there, asleep and at peace in her dreams? No, not there either.

He looked through out the house, calling in vain for her before looking out the window as a deafening thunderclap echoed and the power went dark. They were out there! He had to find them, he had to make sure his little sister was safe! He couldn't sit here and feel sorry for himself. Pain throbbed in his marrow but he ignored it as he started to the door. Maybe they were at the core with Sans…

+++++++++++

Alphys made her way into the underground, the soul's magic coursing through her, driving her. It felt like poison in her veins as she headed down the path, making sure to avoid being seen. She was sure there would be resistance at the core. But, there was another way to carry out the souls plan. He delved deep into her mind and had found the information of what dwelled deep in the True Lab. That was where they were heading. There would be something that even Gaster hadn't know about.

After She had taken over and begun her research into determination she had worked over the machines of the lab and has linked them to the Core to draw power enough to run the DT extraction machine. It had a direct connection. If she could reverse the power flow and insert the souls then… then It would all be over…

'We're close, Alphys, so close.' Cooed the human, 'Soon your world will be changed forever.'

"W-why? I-I don't want to do this anymore! Please, st-stop this!" She had given up resisting his control over her movements but again she tried in vain as her body continued it's trek.

'You wished for humans to all die. Don't you know you should be careful what you wish for? You're going to get it, the humans will die. Everyone will die.' he chuckled. 'You know? I've been so repulsed at the idea of helping you but this is justice… Monsters, living in peace? No, I will never let that happen.'

"You lied to me… You planned this from the start didn't you?"

'Indeed. Monsters will never have this world even if it means ending it to ensure that.'

"T-they won't let you…"

'They haven't a choice.'

Upon reaching the true lab she made her way to the DT Extraction machine and set to work modifying it. It wouldn't be long now…

+++++++++

Gaster and Sans sat outside the main power room to the core awaiting Alphys' arrival should she make it this far. Sans sighed as dread clutched his soul. Something should have happened by now. He couldn't take this waiting! He looked over at Gaster who studied the control panel near by, monitoring the power levels.

"Gaster, what if… what if this does happen? I mean, yeah we've got a lot of power behind us but let's say she does manage to get past us. What will a core overload do exactly?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Gaster looked over with a grave expression. "I… Am not sure. It would be catastrophic to be sure. The force of the blast alone would destroy the mountain and the power running through the entire cavern would surge causing a collapse." He thought for a moment, "The explosion itself? The core extracts thermal energy and converts it into magic. the blast would be similar to a monster magic attack but… the effect it would have on the lands that survived I could not say. But, it will not happen, Sans. We will be able to stop her before she reached the core."

"Sans!" Sans looked up to see Papyrus heading towards them with a limp and he jumped up and hurried over to his little brother. "Papyrus! What is it? Where's frisk?"

"She's not here…?" he looked around then bowed his head. "I don't know! She and Tonnis weren’t home when I looked."

"Great, add that to the shit pile." he groaned in exasperation.

Gaster walked over from the panel and stood silent for a moment then nodded, "She is well. I sense her and the boy on the surface…" after a moment he continued, "Seems they are with the King and Queen. She is safe… They will make sure nothing harms them. Though after this I fear there will be much to be dealt with concerning the human's hostility towards us. Perhaps- what?!"

An alarm echoed through the corridor and Gaster hurried to back to the panel. His eyes widened in shock, "The core! No, how did she-!?" he looked up, "She's gotten into the main power router from somewhere in the underground!"

"What?!" the brothers exclaimed togethed.

"Where would she do that?!" Sans cried then realization struck him, memories of timelines past. There were times when he came to Alphys to try and help her after a previous line had gained him knowledge of her research and the results. There he has seen it, the DT Extraction machine!

"She's in the true lab, here, we've got to hurry!" his magic surged through him as he opened a portal and the three of them jumped through just in time to see Alphys take out the canister containing the souls. Sans' eye blazed as his blue magic erupted towards her but a powerful barrier cast it aside.

"You can't stop me!" Alphys voice was distorted and he knew she wasn't the one in control.

"Don't do this!" Cried Sans, "You don't know what you're doing!"

Papyrus stepped forward, "Stop this, human! We can work things out it doesn't have to be this way!"

"S-stay back!" Alphys whined, "He's too powerful!"

Gaster summoned his blaster much to the brothers and Alphys shock. "Do not make me do this!" he growled.

"Will you kill your own kind, Monster?" cackled the human. "You're too late!" He used Alphys to send out a blast of magic which Gaster dodged as Papyrus rushed forward.

Sans reacted in reflex as an attack was aimed at his little brother and before he could stop himself he loosed a bone spike which hit it's mark directly, impaling Alphys through the chest. "N-No!"

Alphys eyes widened as she looked down at the bone. Her form trembled but before any of them could react the soul used the last of her strength to insert the canister as her body began to turn to dust. "S…San…s" she gasped, "I'm ….s-sorry…" her body dispersed as the canister and machine lit up and power began to pulse through the lab.

"What have they done?!" Gaster rushed forward to the machine and began frantically looking for a way to reverse the process.

Sans collapsed and writhes in pain as his LV increased the kill had tainted him, it was too much as he cried out in agony. Papyrus rushed to him and held him as he thrashed, his body changing in his brothers arms.

"It is no use!" Gaster abandoned the machine and hurried over, "We have to get out of here!"

"But the core!" Papyrus cried, "We have to stop-"

"There is no time!" snapped Gaster as he took Sans from Papyrus' arms, "Run!"

As the three skeletons fled the very lab began to glow with a surge of power. Alarms rang out and in the distance a defining explosion rocked the ground before the blast caught up with them and all they knew was white before there was nothing...

The core was detonating…

The deed was done…

This was the way their world ended…

This… was then end of all they knew… All they loved…

"… Sans?"

-TO BE CONTINUED-


End file.
